Caught in the Game
by C. S. Stars
Summary: "It will all make sense soon her ass. If they knew just what the gods had 'planned' for them to do sooner, they would have told the gods to go fuck themselves." -multiple ocs & self-inserts. AU. Cover art made by the wonderful Drawing-Cookie!
1. Chosen (Rebirth Arc)

_Multiverse:_

 _Noun | mul-ti-verse |_ _\ˈməl-tē-ˌvərs\_

 _cosmology  
: a theoretical reality that includes a possibly infinite number of parallel universes_

She hadn't really believed in the idea of the multiverse before. Sure, she'd thought it was interesting - something nice to dream about. All of the possible "what ifs?" had been something fun to talk to her friends about. / Something that people read about in fanfiction. Dreamed of different scenarios but never thinking it was real. And for some, that's a relief. The worlds loved by fandoms, most of them are deadly and terrifying.

For her, it had been enough to just dream. To wonder. But it wasn't something she had ever thought might actually be _real_.

That is, until the day it suddenly became _very_ real.

She barely even remembers what happened on that fateful day. One moment, she'd been at home. Sitting in the sun and cuddling with her dog- a rare nice day in the spring. Suddenly there was a loss of breath and her vision swam. She heard her dog barking and whining, then nothing. darkness.

She had, quite literally, been floating in near total darkness. She remembers having wished for more time - there were so many things she'd wanted to do, she wasn't ready to go yet. The stories she'd never get to know the endings of, the stories she wanted to tell herself. The plans she had and family she wanted. The life she wanted to live. But the darkness had swallowed her. And then there'd been light. No, _she_ had been light.

She hadn't been as alone as she initially thought, either.

There'd been another light of some kind. A mesmerising white one. To this day, she doesn't know if her own light had been the same colour or a different one. She doesn't know if it matters, anyways.

All she knew in that dark and oppressive place was that there was someone else there. Another Light. She wasn't alone and her own light couldn't be extinguished.

She couldn't make out who the other light was or what they were. All she could tell was that she felt comfortable in the other Light's presence. She was unclear as to how much time passed, assuming that it did, at least. But it was impossible to tell in the suffocating darkness. Still scared and completely lost, she tried to call out to the other light, but any noise was absorbed immediately by the darkness. It terrified her even more. She was so terrified, she felt like she was having a panic attack, which shouldn't be possible because she was dead. Regardless, she was slowly losing it and the feeling of being watched did not helping her. At. All.

Of course, when the silence was finally broken, it had to be broken by what could only be a god. No… not simply one god. Several gods. Giant looming orbs of light, brighter than the sun itself, suddenly surrounded her.

And then.

The gods _spoke_.

* * *

 _ **Black.**_

 _ **Darkness.**_

 _ **Suffocating.**_

 _ **Oppressive.**_

 _ **Lonely.**_

 _ **Hollow.**_

 _ **Empty.**_

 _ **Despair.**_

 _ **Hopeless.**_

 **That was all that there was, all that she could feel.**

 **She wondered if that was how depression felt. If she'd finally gone over the edge, if the stress and hardships of life finally getting to her. But no… she knew that to be a lie. She'd been fine - happy, content, ready to take on the world.**

 **Something had happened.**

 **What in the world had happened? The last thing she remembered was going to sleep… just taking a little nap in the sunshine.**

 **She couldn't think. She couldn't grasp her thoughts. It was all slipping away, like sand slipping through your fingers.**

 **She was cold.** _ **Oh, so cold**_ **in this oppressive darkness.**

 **She wanted to be warm again. Longed for her mother's comforting and and warming embrace. Longed for the light and colors that were devoured in this blackness.**

 **She tried to move. To do** _ **something**_ **. She couldn't move. Why couldn't she move? She was sure her heart would be beating more quickly by the second, but… nothing.**

 **She couldn't feel anything.**

 **It was dark.** _ **Too dark.**_

" _ **Help me!"**_ **She thought.** " _ **Someone! Where is the light?!"**_

 **And as if answering her prayers… there was light. A clear, little, golden orb of warm light - a little star of her very own, a miniature sun.**

 **She wants to wrap herself around that light, around the warmth. But she can't move. It's terrifying.**

 **Of course… that's when she's suddenly surrounded by** _ **so much more**_ **light and heat and power and she wants to** _**run-run-run**_ **, but she can't, and she's confused and frightened...**

 **From darkness to blinding light. It was overwhelming. She wanted to go home.** _ **What was going on?**_ **The lights hurt almost as much as the darkness. It was terrible.**

 **And then it got worse.**

 **The light** _ **spoke.**_

 **And she realized that these weren't just lights.**

 _ **They were gods**_

* * *

" _ **Child of Mortals. We have tested the strength of your heart, and We have found it worthy"**_.

" _Worthy?"_ She thought. " _Worthy of what?"_

" _ **Worthy to suit Our purpose. Worthy to help He Who Sleeps defeat He Who Is Cursed"**_.

 **She was confused. She was scared. She had no idea what was going on, what had even happened?** One moment she had been slipping away… the next, she was in the darkness. And now gods, massive beings, nothing but power and pure energy spoke to her.

" _ **We see you are confused, Child of Mortals. All will become clear soon. Just know that We have found you are better suited elsewhere"**_ _._

(Many years later, she will still curse out the gods for being a bunch of damn liars, because NOTHING became clear).

Suited better? _Elsewhere?_ **What did they mean?** This couldn't be real. Gods didn't exist. What the hell was going on!? She was just at home and now this? **What** _ **happened?**_ Who were they to decide where she should be and what she should be doing? _Wait._ Did- did that mean she was _dead_!?

" **Wait… they just- I- I can't be- I had so much to- they can't do this! I'm not done with my life!"**

They had no _right_! **Who gave them the right to destroy her life!?** To kill her! **For their own agenda and amusement!?**

" _ **Child of Mortals! Calm yourself!"**_

" _ **Such audacity, such insolence! We gift it a new life, and this is the thanks We get?! We should destroy it here and now!"**_

" _ **Silence! We will do no such thing! He Who Sleeps needs aide to defeat He Who Is Cursed. We found suitable assistance, We shall not destroy her!"**_

What was this? In-fighting? Disagreement between the all-powerful?

It seems as if they were not all in agreement on _whatever_ this was.

" **I just want to live!"** "I can't let go - there was so much I want to do- what will become of those I left behind?"

" _ **Hush Child. If you do well and what you're supposed to, you will be rewarded and happy."**_

 **She had already been happy. She had a good life, a loving family, wonderful friends, and she had been figuring her life out!**

She wondered what was so important that she _had_ to die for it to happen. Her soul, her very self, wasn't some object they could just move! Or… well, she'd thought that was the case. But the gods had proven her wrong once, already.

She wanted to be angry.

 **She wanted to scream! To be furious!**

But how could one as small as she stand against a _god_?

 **How could she, when all she felt was** _ **numbness.**_

And in the end…

…there wasn't even a choice, was there?

 **Not against the gods' will.**

 **.**

 **.**

 **.**

And then…

 **.**

 **.**

 **.**

 **.**

 **.**

….There was darkness again and that's all she knew.

* * *

A/N:

Hello guys, gals, and nonbianary pals! (Yes I'm borrowing that from Thomas Sanders) Welcome to our prologue of Caught in the Game! I am Counting Sinful Stars (name change pending) and I am half of this wonderful duo who is writing this fic! NordicTwin and I have been slaving away for several weeks now, hashing out details and everything for this story, so we hope that you'll enjoy it!

I am so excited to share this with everyone and get it out there.

Caught in the Game is an AU of the Yu-Gi-Oh! DM series. While there will be many elements that are the same as from canon, most of it will be altered and changed because, well, it's an AU. So if you notice we missed something or that things are different from canon, it's intentional and we know.

So brace yourselfs my duckies, we are about to FUCK up the canon storyline. (Also brace yourself for angst. Cause NordicTwin and I are PURE EVIL when it comes to angst) and if you have any ideas or suggestions for things we could end up doing, please let us know!

 **And one last (but not least) note, there are many amazing SI fanfic writers out there like Silver Queen and Lang Noi, and while they're inspiring, the one author and the fic they wrote is my main inspiration. That author is Panda-chan31 (who I believe is only on rn) and her wonderful SI Yugioh story "Monachopsis". So if you haven't read it, I suggest you do!**

Thanks so much for reading and don't forget to review!

Counting Sinful Stars

 _Ladies and Gentlemen! Lovely readers, one and all, thank you so much for stopping by for the prologue of Caught in the Game! My name is Nordic Twin, and I'm one half of the duo of authors behind this fic, and I, along with Counting Sinful Stars, am so excited to get this show on the road._

 _Caught in the Game is a two-person labor of love dedicated to YuGiOh! And all of its wonderful characters. Hold on to your socks, 'cause we're going on one long trip through AU and canon elements alike._

 _I won't keep you guys for much longer than this. There's going to be many more chances for both CSS and I to ramble, but I just want to say that we've got a LOT of things planned, so start getting pumped up!_

 _Thanks for reading!_

 _Nordic Twin_


	2. The Awakening

**Chapter 1 - The Awakening**

She didn't know what was worse. Having been completely engulfed in darkness for who-knows-how-long, only her own thoughts to keep her company, or suddenly being ripped from that darkness into a world of intense light and way too much noise.

She had no idea what was going on. All she knew was that she was cold, hungry and being man-handled as if she weighed nothing at all.

She hated it.

She wanted to yell, demand what was going on, but all that escaped her throat were screams and high-pitched wails.

She heard voices, muffled and LOUD and she couldn't understand what they were saying. It was terrifying.

Then… then she was wrapped in something warm and soft, and she was put down on the most comfortable surface in the world, a soothing beat just beneath her ear mixing with a soft humming. Someone held her close, murmuring things to her.

Tired and scared, she tried to fight off the exhaustion that hit her. To no avail.

She fell asleep between one breath and the next.

* * *

She was here. She was finally, actually here. His first grandchild - no, his grand _daughter_.

Solomon Mutou was a proud man. Or rather, he used to be, when he was younger. Indeed, he had been able to count the times he cried as an adult on one hand.

He wasn't that same young man anymore. And so he openly cried as the precious little life, swaddled in a cheery pink blanket, was handed to him.

"She's so _beautiful_ ," he whispered to no-one in particular. "She's the most magnificent thing in the _entire world_ , and I couldn't be happier". His voice broke as he rocked her back and forth, ever so gently. He looked at his son, who was sitting next to his wife, Solomon's daughter-in-law, and smiled. "Yakumo, my son, I haven't been this happy since the day you were born. Congratulations, with all of my heart, congratulations".

Yakumo smiled at him, bowing his head in thanks. "Thank you, Tou-san. It's a new beginning for all of us… but as long as Yume and I have each other, I think we can do anything".

Solomon practically glowed with pride. "Wise words, my boy. I wish you both a bright and happy future". He looked back down at the little wonder in his arms. It appeared that she had skipped out on their family's three-coloured hair (a strange trait that had baffled many a doctor or stranger), instead having just brilliant golden hair covering that little head of hers. "Have you thought of a name for her? I know Yume had a list as long as Tokyo Tower is tall," he chuckled, careful not to startled his little granddaughter, lest he wake her from her sleep.

Yume was the one to answer him, this time.

"Youko," she whispered, still exhausted. "Our little _Sun Child_ ".

"Not _Ocean_?" Solomon quirked an eyebrow at the two new parents. Yakumo just laughed.

"Not with hair like that - she's going to shine brighter than a sun. Mark my words, Youko will be able to light up an entire room, just with her presence, just you wait and see".

If Solomon felt a sudden weight fall over the room, as if something of great importance had just happened (just like it had back then, in Egypt, when he'd faced a spirit and lived), he chose to ignore it.

Fate would have to run its course, and who was he to interfere with the will of higher powers?

* * *

She doesn't remember much after falling asleep that first time. Only fragments really. She supposes it was because her brain was not mature enough to handle an adult's mind.

There are only vague impression, sensations, and feelings when she tries to think back to those first few months. Her mind simply cannot grasp or focus on that time. She supposes that that is a blessing really.

All she knows for certain is that one day… she _awakens_. From one moment to the next, she goes from being in a place that is way too bright and falling asleep against something soft and safe, to finding herself on a little blanket made of what looks like big puzzle pieces, surrounded by absolutely _giant_ furniture.

She looks around in confusion, wondering what has happened. It had been dark and quiet, then bright and loud, and now… now things are clear, if not ridiculously over-sized. Had she shrunk? No… that would be impossible, the rational side of her mind decides, but what else could've happened? Was someone playing a trick on her?

She decides she will learn nothing of her situation just by sitting there, so she tries to stand… only to have her body disobey her. She falls over with a little cry of distress, intending to call out the word "help!", but it only comes out as an odd little squeak.

Then there's a chuckle behind her and a hand at her back, helping her back into a sitting position. " _Up_ you _go then,_ little one. _Quite eager to walk already, aren't_ you?"

She turns her head to look at the source of the voice and finds quite possibly the oddest looking man she has ever seen. His hair sticks out in all sorts of crazy spikes that look so unnatural it's unsettling, and while some of it is grey, she can still catch hints of a bright, lipstick red colour, mixing with black and streaks of blonde.

She's not quite sure how to feel about it...

"Who are you?" She settles on asking, though she would much rather like to ask "what's happening with your hair?", but decides against it, as it would be rude.

But… nothing that can be understood comes from her mouth. Instead a series of odd _ooo_ and _aaa_ sounds escape her mouth. Again he chuckles.

" _Not quite there,_ little _darling_. _It's_ grandpa - _Ojii-san._ Graaaand-paaaa, _Jiiiii-saaaan_ " he says to her slowly, exaggerating the sounds, as if she's incapable of understanding basic speech.

The odd part is she could only understand every other word he was saying. The rest is foreign to her.

"Okay, no, I'm really confused, what's going on here?" She, again, tries to ask, but she just can't form the words and only babbling noises come from her, much to the older man's delight and her mortification.

He picks her up and lifts her into the air, smiling widely. " _Such a talkative_ little _girl_ you are. I _wonder what_ you'll _grow up to_ be… _maybe_ _a_ story _teller_? _Or perhaps there's a_ singer _hiding in_ you?" He hugs her close, but gently, to his chest, rocking her back and forth. "Sweet, little _Yo-chan~_ " the old man sings quietly, happy as can be.

She freezes in confusion and fear, trying not to freak out because she's being held like a baby by a strange man and she can't understand what he's saying. ' _What the everloving fuck is going on!?'_

"Grandfather, _please_ be care _ful with_ Youko, you're _just going to scare_ her," says a feminine voice from somewhere behind her and the strange man. _Youko_ … that sounds like a name to her. But as far as she knows, she's the only other person in the room. Not just that, something in her is responding to that voice. Recognizing it. But her name isn't Youko, it's-

"I'm sorry, Yume _dear, but it cannot_ be _helped_. She's _just such an_ adorable _child_ ," the man says, before he finally puts her back down on the blanket. "You _know,_ she _was trying to_ walk _just a few moments ago!_ She's _going to do great things_ , I _know it_ ".

If something in the air shifted again, as if in agreement with him, Solomon choses to ignore it. (Like he has done countless times before).

Youko on the other hand shivers as the invisible weight settles around her. She looks around trying to spot anything that would make her feel that way before she freezes again. Her thoughts shift, pulling her mind back to the time when she was in the darkness.

" _ **You have been chosen."**_

" _ **You have been deemed more suited elsewhere."**_

" _ **You are worthy to carry out our purposes"**_

No. _No._ It had to be a lie! A nightmare! This couldn't have happened!

 _But it had_ , something inside her whispers. No one, even supposed gods, could be _that_ cruel could they? To _kill_ someone to suit their purposes and desires somewhere else?

Something heavy sinks inside her and she starts to hyperventilate. Her panicked breathing is followed by tears and then, she breaks. Great heaving sobs and wails tear through her throat as she _screams_ and _rages._ Her body thrashes as she fights against an invisible force. It's not _fair_! Her rage turns to anguish as she realizes that she has lost everything. Her life, family, everything she had gained, her very being is _gone._ All because of some gods' whims.

She is vaguely aware of someone picking her up again, rocking her back and forth repeatedly, trying desperately to calm her down, but she _doesn't want to_. Everything has been stolen from her - what reasons does she have to be calm? So instead of calming down as they want she screams and cries louder. And louder. And _louder_.

She reaches her loudest when, in an attempt to calm her, the woman starts to sing a painfully familiar song. One her mother had sung to her all the time as a child. At the thought of her now lost mother- oh how she must be so _devastated_ by her only child's death- she wails in more anguish, her poor underdeveloped vocal chords being brutalized by her screeches and sobs. Her cries worsen. She wants her _mother_ \- ' _mommy! I want my mama!'-_ is all she can think about.

She doesn't know how long it goes on, but she only stops when the darkness comes again and she passes out from both emotional and physical exhaustion.

* * *

Her baby is crying. Oh gods above, her baby is crying and won't stop. She doesn't know what to _do._ Her Youko had been such an angel since she was born, never fussing or causing any problems. So she is now at a complete loss as to what to do. _Her child is in distress and she can't fix it._

"Oh, what do we do, what do we do? Where is Yakumo when you need him, dear gods, Solomon, what do we do?!" She cries, almost running in circles with little Youko held securely in her arms.

Solomon himself feels helpless as Youko just cries and screams and wails without stop. Had he scared her when he lifted her? But she loves it - at least, he thinks she does. She always smiles and falls asleep right away when she is held.

For the first time since Youko's birth, he really wishes his late wife was there. She would have known what to do. Of course, there is one thing he knows always worked on Yakumo, when he was a baby...

"Sing to her!" He almost yells, so Yume can hear him over her daughter's screams. "It worked on Yakumo when he was that age, and she likes to listen to people speak!"

"Yes, of course! A lullaby, but which one?" Yume mumbles to herself, trying desperately to think clearly and get past her worries for the crying child.

And then she remembered... and old song she'd heard once, a long time ago when she went across the ocean to America.

"You are my sunshine... my only sunshine. You make me happy, when skies are grey. You'll never know dear... how much I love you. Please don't take my sunshine away".

It doesn't. Work. If anything it makes her cry harder, and Yume tries desperately to keep calm. Dear gods, she made it worse. What's wrong with her baby? Is she hungry? Does she need a diaper change? Is she _sick_? But no… she can't feel anything from her. No smell, no alarming temperature. And Yume knows she fed her baby just an hour before.

Dear gods. What is _wrong_ with her baby girl!?

It's an hour or so of constant noise and fighting before Youko _finally_ calms down, though not out of her own will, if Yume understands the screaming. Her baby has simply exhausted herself to sleep.

When Yakumo comes home, they will discuss what happened and hopefully figure out what was wrong with baby Youko.

The next day they will take her to the doctor and find out nothing is wrong with their baby, nothing that could explain the sudden crying… but something is wrong, as they will learn.

Little vocal chords damaged by the intensity of her screams. They'll hope it won't hinder her ability to speak, that it'll heal. Ideally, the doctor will say, she shouldn't speak for quite some time. But who can expect a small child, just a little older than a year, to keep silent?

Even later, when Youko finally _does_ speak… her voice will have a slight rasp to it. Yume will blame herself for not finding a way to stop her crying until the day she dies.

* * *

Grief is something she didn't think she'd have to experience for many more years. Not to the degree she has experienced it for the past few days.

She is confused. She is angry. She feels so very hollow inside that it hurts.

She has tried everything she could to reach the gods again. Silent prayer being the most used one, considering raging and screaming and cursing at them got her nothing but a throat that's constantly hurting her.

So she lays there, listlessly. Only her thoughts to keep her company. They brew and simmer in her mind. And they are _not_ good thoughts. Her mind spirals further down with each new thought. At times, she wonders if this what depression is and if it's what her friends had to go through when fighting.

She worries her new family. She knows for sure that that's who they are, now. She uses family loosely, she can't bring herself to accept them or her situation yet. It's hard, so very hard to go every waking moment longing for her family and life. She swings between extreme rage and deep depression for what she thinks is a few months. (It's only a month really, but she has no way of keeping track and her depression doesn't help) She knows her 'family' is at their wits end, wondering what caused such a dramatic shift in their baby and are at a loss as to what to do.

It all changes when that old man, her new grandfather (Ojii-san, as he tries to make her say sometimes) takes her up on his lap one day, when her "mother" is out and her "father" at work, and looks at her with such big, sad eyes.

"Little Youko," he whispers, calling her by her new name, for once, and not some variation or odd nickname. " _Child of Sun, Child of Light._ What _is it that saddens_ you _so much,_ I _wonder?_ _Why do_ you scream _as if in agony?_ "

He speaks to her with such _tenderness_ that she almost can't bear it. Even if she can't quite understand the language, yet, she can hear all of the love and worry in his voice.

Tears well up in her eyes again, but for the first time in weeks, they aren't accompanied by agonized wails. Instead, she weeps for the deception that is her very existence in the life of this little family. She weeps and mourns for all that she's lost. She lets it all out. And in that moment, she lets go and accepts what has happened. She accepts that this is her new family, and with a start, she realizes that they love her.

They _love_ her.

She doesn't know if she will ever be able to return it.

Maybe that moment of realization is when she actually starts to love them. To see all they do for her, just to ensure her happiness.

She thinks a lot the next few weeks, following that moment with her new grandfather, when she had cried silently and he had hummed a wordless tune to her, mumbling soothing things into her hair, until she fell asleep again.

Her new mother, Yume - as she comes to learn - is almost always home, save for the few times she leaves the house to get groceries or spend time with the other mothers of the neighborhood. When she (Youko, she has to remind herself constantly, her new name is _Youko_ ) has gone a week without crying all day, Yume takes her with her. And she gets to _really_ see the outside world for the first time in what feels like ages.

The city is loud and bright and so much more different than the world she came from. (Especially the odd hair… turns out her new grandfather and father, too, aren't the only ones into weird haircuts and odd dye-jobs).

Her new father is busy. Often away from home for days at a time, Youko thinks he's some kind of businessman. Not very high up in the ranks, but he makes decent money, or so it appears, based on their house and the shop beneath it. She cannot tell if she knows the man well enough to say for certain that she will grow to love him, but he acts a lot like he loves her, bringing her little trinkets and sitting with her when he gets home, playing little games and such when he has the time.

Her new grandfather, though… yes, she is willing to say for sure that she will grow to love him. He spends all the time he can with her, sometimes even taking her down to his shop, where he sells all sorts of games, so he can watch her and talk with her while he works. She would call him kindness incarnate, and it is because of him that she ever so slowly starts figuring out her new native tongue. And she is oh so grateful for him because Japanese is a challenging language to learn.

And ever so slowly… her "new family" becomes her family. "New mother" becomes "mother" which turns into Mama/Kaa-san. Same for her father and grandpa.

She still grieves for the life and family she lost. She still wakes up crying, after dreaming of being reunited with the people from that old life, but it is made better by her mom quickly rushing to her side and comforting her, or her dad or grandpa picking her up so very gently and holding her close, rocking her to sleep, their heartbeats the best lullaby. She figures that her new family isn't all that bad, even if they are all a little strange.

In the end, Youko decides, her new life really isn't as bad as it could be. Sure, the idea of being reborn, and not just that, but remembering it happening as well, is a little scary to her. Even more, being chosen for some big task by all-powerful gods?

Terrifying.

But her family is kind and loving, and she knows that she will soon wish to do everything for them. Especially any future baby siblings (a girl can hope) that she has, she will love and protect them fearlessly. She lost one family. She isn't going to go through that a second time.

So, several months later, as she falls asleep, having accepted her new life and feeling content, she thinks she will survive.

And hey… if she can survive this, she's sure she can survive whatever the gods throw at her. Still, she wouldn't wish this fate on anyone else.

" _At least they only took me,"_ Youko thinks, content and happy, before dreams finally claim her.

No… the gods wouldn't have stolen _two_ people from their old lives without warning. That was just silly. And needlessly cruel.

* * *

A/N:

Hey guys! Welcome to chapter 1 of CitG! I hope you enjoyed reading this. Nordic and I certainly had fun writing this chapter. The lovely and talented NordicTwin wrote more than I did this time, she's so amazing.

So this chapter we introduced my first and main oc, Mouto Youko. There are other ocs and we will do our best to give all the ocs enough "screen time" and show different perspectives in this story.

I've noticed in many fics that some authors don't think about it at least show the ocs fully realizing the consequences of their situations and the grief and other things they go through. So I wanted to focus a bit on that.

Lots of foreshadowing in this chapter for sure, Nordic did a great job with those details.

Anyways I'm not really sure what to say in these A/N's tbh…..

Big thanks to treavellergirl, datsonyat, Mermims91, Kohanita, and Contentkarma347 for the follows and favorites on FFN!

And thank you for the kudos and to cherrypup for the follow on ao3!

And a big shout out to my little sister Moirei for beta-ing the chapter for us!

Thanks for reading everyone and see you all next time!

Counting Sinful Stars

 _A/N: Hello everyone! Welcome to the first official chapter of Caught in the Game - The Awakening! I hope you enjoyed reading it, it was certainly fun to write._

 _So lots of stuff going on this chapter. Introducing: Youko Mutou/Mutou Youko, whichever way of saying it suits your fancy. While we'll have other OCs in this story, Youko will be the main one, as you have probably already noticed. But don't worry - we've got much more than just her story to tell, that's for sure._

 _ **About her name:**_ _the website says about the name Youko:_

 _From Japanese_ _陽_ _(_ _you_ _) meaning "light, sun, male" or_ _洋_ _(_ _you_ _) meaning "ocean" combined with_ _子_ _(_ _ko_ _) meaning "child". Other combinations of kanji characters are possible._

 _That's what Solomon is asking about - their choice of characters for her name._

 _ **And about the switch in tense:**_ _that's a very dilebrate move on our part. Anything written in past tense happens either as a flashback or before Youko is 100% aware of her surroundings and she's recalling what happened. So whenever such a switch happens - that's why._

 _So now that we've gone through the first year or so of Youko's life, what else could be in store for her? She's accepted her new place in the universe, but will she be ready for the trials ahead? What new adventures could await her? Learn that, and more, in the next chapter of Caught in the Game!_

 _Thanks for reading, and we will see you guys next time!_

 _NordicTwin_


	3. To Awaken

**Chapter 2: To Awaken**

Marie Bakura is a sensible woman. She has to be, as the wife of an enthusiastic archaeologist and history buff and as a mother. When her first daughter was born, she and her husband had been ecstatic. They had spent months planning, prepping, and waiting eagerly for their first child. Little Amane had been a gift, but also a handful. As new parents they were at a loss as to what to do most of the time. Amane demanded a lot of attention and love. She cried and made noises all day whenever she was awake. She was very active as well, looking at everything and getting into things. She was a ball of joy and sunshine to them.

Finding out she was pregnant again had brought even more joy to the little family. They were prepared more this time, after having Amane they thought that they'd were ready for anything. How wrong they were.

Babies are always doing something when they're not asleep. Watching things, making noises as they learn to talk, playing and crying even.

When their second daughter was born, their little Hinata, they expected another Amane. A happy and giggly child. Of course they expected the crying and lack of sleep. But this….Marie is pretty sure that _this_ isn't normal for a baby. Actually, she _knows_ that this isn't normal for babies.

When sweet Hinata was born, she had cried and wailed until she was bundled up and placed in her mother's arms. She had settled down instantly and fallen asleep. Little Amane eagerly peered at her sister, exclaiming that they looked alike (both of her daughters had inherited her own pure white hair, although Hinata seemed to have a blue tint in her hair that she inherited from Osamu) and then told Hinata that she would take care of her and that they would be best friends and play together. Marie and Osamu both smiled at their oldest, answering her questions until it was time to go. They went home a few days later and settled into their new routine. And from there things were normal, similar to how Amane had been as a baby. But then one day, several months later, things suddenly changed. And these changes scare her.

Their babbling and curious little girl just suddenly… stopped. Stopped "speaking", stopped exploring, stopped everything. She would just lie there, staring blankly into space, not reacting to being talked to or touched. She would barely eat when they fed her, she never cried to let them know if she was hungry or had a dirty diaper. It worried Marie and Osamu to no end. Was she sick? She was acting like….she was depressed, but that….wasn't possible.

The worst moment for Marie was one day when she walked up to Hinata, only to see her crying silently.

It broke her heart. What could have happened to make her little girl so sad? Not even Amane, who was usually the one to make Hinata laugh, could do anything.

They considered taking her to the doctor, but nothing was wrong with her. No psychologist would take in such a small child, and her child wasn't depressed, the mere idea of it was just silly, she wasn't even more than a year old!

Nothing was wrong with her baby. Everything was fine, she was just a little sad. That was all. Marie would get so mad whenever Osamu would even _hint_ at something being wrong with her Hinata or her being depressed. How dare he even _think_ about it.

It was a harsh blow to her trust in him, when he told her that he and old Solomon Mutou, his mentor and colleague, had decided that they - she specifically - were going to meet with Solomon's daughter-in-law to speak about their shared problems with their children. Well, child in Yume Mutou's case, but still… her point was still valid.

Finding herself overruled by her own husband… it was a bitter pill to swallow.

* * *

Being reborn wasn't all that it was hyped up to be. That's what she realizes the second she comes to her senses after so long in the dark.

Waking up in a foreign place, in a foreign body, surrounded by people you can neither understand nor know who are? That's downright terrifying. Unable to move or speak? That's even more terrifying.

She remembers it all now that she's out of the darkness. Remembers what the gods said, that they want something from her.

She feels helpless, angry of course, they took her life away her _choice_ away. But she mostly feels lost and sad, anguished even.

And she realizes that the darkness before was nothing like depression. This. _This_ is depression.

It's like seeing all the light around you, and you want to reach it, but you just can't get it. It's right at the tips of your fingers, and being off by the breadth of a hair. Of seeing hope to escape, but just not having the energy to try.

She's a few months old, and she's depressed. That has _got_ to be a new record.

Her new family (an odd group of three people - two who are borderline albinos and one with blue hair) worry for her. She can't bring herself to care really. They're not her _real_ family. Her real family is gone, lost to her forever. She'll never get to feel the comfort of her father's arms again, or the warmth of her mother. The softness of her puppy or the laughter of her friends.

She just wishes she could go back to being dead. Properly, this time. Surely anything is better than this. At least if she's dead she can have a hope of seeing her loved ones again.

Her "mother" has to be the strangest of her new "family". Sure, she's loving and caring - everything a mother should be. But she also seems a little… crazy. She constantly mutters "Hina-chan is fine, nothing's wrong, my baby is perfect and healthy".

She finds it oddly ironic how she learns of her new name through the mutterings of a possibly-crazy woman.

Hinata. Or Hina-chan or Nata-chan, depending on the person speaking. Her "father" is a bit better, at least not crazy. He tries, she can tell, to love her. But he's confused and lost in how to help her. He has a lot to deal with, his wife who's in denial, his daughter who is depressed, and his other daughter who may feel neglected and saddened by her little sister's unusual behavior.

She might feel a little sorry for making her new sister sad, not being the ideal baby sister and playmate, but she doesn't know the feeling of that loss. She was the youngest child in that life before, so she never got to experience the same excitement.

The excitement of having someone willing to play with her, of being close friends and sharing secrets.

That hope, that bubble of excitement… burst.

Should she care? Maybe. If a baby is even able to do so. Does she care? No. Not really. She doesn't know.

She just wants to sleep. Sleep forever. Sleep and never get up. Never do anything ever again. Was that selfish of her? Probably. But again: she can't bring herself to care.

She wonders, in a detached sort of way, how long it's been. How much time has passed since she woke up in the new place, in this new life. Wonders if, even if there was a way back to that old world, her true family is still alive. If they miss her as much as she does them.

Her life changes one fateful day, when she hears these new parents of hers fighting. It sounds rather one-sided from where she is in her crib. Her "father" is speaking to her "mother", who is yelling.

"Nothing is wrong, everything is fine". That's all she can really understand. She's distantly annoyed that she can't understand her new "family" half the time. They're bilingual and speak English, so she can understand them most of the time, when she actually tries to pay attention.

Her "mother" is in denial again, it seems. But will her "father" actually take action this time and go against her? Ah, they've switched to the other language again, Japanese she thinks, so she can't tell what they're saying now. She mentally shrugs and tunes them out.

She wants to fall asleep. She really does. But then there's a smaller figure sneaking into the room, and she's faced with her new sister. She doesn't quite remember her name. Hasn't bothered to learn it yet. She knows she probably should, so she can one day play the role of "baby sister", but for now, she just doesn't want to.

She knows it's wrong.

That she shouldn't be like this and think these thoughts.

But, she

Just

Doesn't

 _Care._

" _You're_ a _weird_ baby, Hina-chan," says the white-haired girl. "I _wish you could speak, so_ mama and papa _would know what's_ wrong, and _then they won't_ fight _so much… but, they yelled a lot before,_ " she reaches through the bars in the crib and runs a hand down a chubby cheek. " _You wouldn't_ know. _You're just_ a baby. _You weren't_ born _yet_ ".

She stares blankly at the little girl as she speaks, only vaguely registering the few words she's been able to pick up. Both girls attention is caught by their normally calm and easygoing "father" raising his voice and apparently putting his foot down to their "mother".

" _Enough is enough_ , Marie!" He says sternly. "This behavior isn't healthy, and you're worrying us all sick! If you don't want to take Hinata to a doctor, then fine. We won't. But we _will_ go and speak to Solomon's son and daughter-in-law about their troubles with baby Youko!"

"We will _not_!" She hisses angrily. "No way in all of the hells that could _possibly_ exist will I go and let some _strangers_ judge me for how I take care of my baby!"

"You living in denial won't fix things! Hinata is _not_ well! And I won't let you harm her even more by ignoring that there is actually something wrong with our daughter!"

The white-haired girl (big sister, she really should start thinking of her like that, but it's too much effort for her to care) whimpers, looking around. Then she snatches a blanket from a shelf and goes to hide under the crib. "I promise to protect you when I'm older, Hinata. But for now… they're just too scary".

Hinata- she's got to start thinking of herself by this new name- feels a faint sense of amusement and sympathy. Arguing parents are scary, even terrifying, and saddening.

But she must applaud her "father" for finally putting his foot down. Took him long enough. She was getting sick of being smothered in unwanted hugs and hearing crazy, in denial ramblings from a delusional….."mother", she guesses.

She would much rather call her "female caretaker", now she thinks about it, but it feels a little too cold and detached, even for her standards. One-who-gave-birth is a mouthful really…..she supposes that she can simply use the woman's name instead. Maybe one day she will be able to refer to her new "parents" as "mom" and "dad". She won't hold her breath though, her real parents are lost to her. At best, Osamu and Marie are foster parents or something.

The fight ends with Marie going quiet. Then she just walks into the room and looks her the crib. Looks at her and her sister curled up beneath it.

"Amane…" (ah, so that's her sister's name) she says, her voice tired. "We… we're going to take a trip to Domino City in a few days. Your father and I are going to… talk… with an old colleague of his".

Hinata stares blankly up at Marie, noting how defeated but annoyed she sounds. Points to Osamu in this case for growing a backbone.

There's a scurrying sound. Then Amane whispers: "Are you friends again?"

Marie sighs, crouching down and holding her arms out towards her eldest, who comes running immediately. Hinata watches the scene with detached curiosity and closes her eyes. She's tired again. She also doesn't want to deal with a clingy Marie anymore today.

She wishes for sleep to claim her.

Darkness wraps around her like an old friend.

* * *

Marie Bakura does not want to be where she is right now.

As much as she loves spending time with her (at times infuriating) husband… she is genuinely hurt that he'd go behind her back like he did.

She hadn't really been as bad as he told her, had she? Such thoughts swarm her head while they're in the car, en route to visit Solomon, Yakumo and Yume Mutou.

Oh, and little Youko Mutou, as well. She is, after all, one of the main reasons for this sudden visit to Domino City.

Amane is giggling and chatting in the backseat, describing what she sees to Hinata. Hinata who is staring blankly, sleepily at the back of the car seat.

At least she's doing _something_. Marie thinks she can see her react to some of the things Amane says. Only a little though. The expressions Hina-chan gives sometimes are disturbing. She's only 14 months old, she shouldn't be able to make some of these expressions at all. Like she's studying them… maybe even judging or disapproving of them. But no, that can't be true.

Her Hinata is just a baby, there's no way she can be so aware or anything.

So that's why it's a greater shock than she could possibly ever imagine, when she meets Youko Mutou and finds a child that seems almost identical to her Hina-chan, if not in looks, then in personality.

The adult Mutous are kind people. Ordinary, really, if not for the peculiar genes giving them tri-coloured hair. Yakumo Mutou is a respectable man, Yume Mutou keeps a beautiful home, and Solomon Mutou is an archaeologist turned shop owner.

Baby Youko is so similar to her own Hinata-chan. They are the complete opposites in appearance though. Where Hinata is white and light like the moon, Youko is bright and yellow and shining like the sun.

But both have that _off_ glint in their eyes, like they're watching the world with the same sort of detached interest.

She catches Yume Mutou's eye across the room, sees her look at Hinata with the same sort of shock she imagines to be in her own eyes, and just _knows_.

Maybe… maybe talking with the Mutous is a good thing, after all.

* * *

Osamu looks at his wife as she is engaged in what looks like a very serious conversation with Solomon's daughter-in-law. They're sitting close together, whispering, almost, as they look at where their children are all grouped together on a blanket by the television.

"Hinata's a lovely kid, Bakura," says Yakumo, handing Osamu a cup of coffee. "You've done well, getting two such beautiful girls".

"Same to you and little Youko," Osamu gestures to the children. "I see she's not gotten the family hair?"

"That's what it seems like so far. She's blessed with that. Our family hair is _unique_ so to say, brings lots of attention. I'm glad she'll avoid that."

"Give it time," chortles Solomon. "You were much the same when you were born, my son. All dark hair. But as you grew, the other colours set it".

"And so did the spiky starfish shape too I'm assuming," Osamu says with a teasing grin.

"Nah, that's just an old family hair-styling technique." Solomon bursts into loud laughter, then. "It involves a lot of time and effort in early childhood, so the shape continues to grow naturally".

"Luckily there is a way to maintain it and have a decent hair style for those who don't want the…. _distinct_ shape."

Osamu really can't tell if the Mutous are joking or not. That has always been difficult, no matter the generation. Their humor is peculiar, and the family in general is odd. Kind and trustworthy people, but odd.

If it ever came to it, he'd gladly entrust his children into their care, should anything happen to him and Marie.

"What are they even talking about?" Muses Yakumo, looking at the women. "They've been at it for at least 15 minutes, now. Just staring and whispering".

"Well… Solomon told me you've had… _problems_ , of sorts, with Youko?" Osamu inquires carefully, not wanting to offend the man.

But Yakumo appears to take no offense and just nods. "That's right. One day, out of the blue… she just started crying," he frowns, concern clear in his eyes. "It was like that for weeks. Months, even. She just… she wouldn't stop".

Solomon nods with a deep frown on his face. "She would scream and cry whenever she wasn't sleeping. It sounded like she was in agony, but the doctors couldn't find anything wrong with her. Nothing would soothe or calm her."

Osamu sighs, finally happy to hear someone having a similar experience. "It's the same with Hinata, right now. Not the screaming, but… she just went from happy and babbling, to… silent. Like… like she's depressed. We've found her countless times just crying silently. And the way she stares blankly at everything… we thought she might be going blind, but there is nothing wrong with her eyes, from what we can tell. Marie's refused to take her to a doctor, so we don't know it for sure, of course. It's just… worrying. No child should act this way. Amane was so different. We're at our wits end. I am at least. Marie refuses to believe that there's something wrong with Hinata."

"Hmm…" Solomon mumbles. "The children are special. There is no doubt about that. But, Osamu old friend, does it make you love Hinata any less? That she isn't quite as you expected?"

"No. She is my child. I love her regardless. It _is_ hard though. I'm so lost, I don't know what to do…."

Yakumo nods, almost like expected this question. Maybe he did - Osamu can believe Solomon to be the type of man to have such a conversation with his son and daughter-in-law. "Then let us be lost together, when it comes to our sweet, but complicated children. Look at Yume… I think she's enjoying having someone else to talk about this with".

Yume Mutou is, in fact, very happy to meet Marie Bakura. To meet someone else so far out where her feet can't touch, drowning in worries and feelings of uselessness. It's nice to have a companion, a fellow woman and mother with whom she can confide in. She does want to chew Marie out though. Living in her denials she's been neglecting poor Hinata. She may not want to believe whatever it is, but Marie still should have brought her daughter to the doctors. What if something really had been wrong? Hinata could have been so sick! She could have died even!

And so she does.

"Listen, I know I'm a stranger right now, and you are probably sick of hearing it from your husband, but really?!" She whispers, so Amane won't hear them. "Do you not take Amane to the doctor when she shows signs of something being wrong? Do you not worry? Or do you tell yourself that everything is fine and that it will pass? Because that is one of the easiest ways to get your child killed. You have been through this once - you should know this!"

"Well, what was I supposed to do?! Hinata doesn't seem ill, just sad. She eats, she sleeps, no fever… what did you want me to do, tell the doctor my baby is depressed? Babies can't be depressed!"

"No one knows that for sure! They may have not as developed and mature minds so young, but they're still human!"

Marie doesn't know what to say, how to react. She wants to be angry, to yell at Yume, but… the other woman is right. She doesn't want to admit it, probably never will do so out loud, but she is.

It hurts.

A lot.

She hasn't been taking care of her baby - no, she hasn't been taking care of her children, period. Amane… sweet, precious child that she is, has put up with so much through the months of her being… gone. Lost.

Her poor babies. She's such a terrible mother.

Poor Osamu. This entire time, he'd been _right_. And she's treated him so terribly.

She was a terrible wife and mother.

"What did you do?" She whispers, looking towards the children. "How did you keep it together? How did you not break from the worry?"

"Because they needed me there. _She_ needed me there," Yume's voice is low, but calm and kind. "I wanted to fight for her. To be able to face a day where she wasn't crying, wasn't fighting against everything. And look now…"

Both mothers glanced over to their children to see them sitting upright and watching a cartoon with rapt attention. Youko would giggle occasionally at something that happened, Hinata…..wasn't doing as much, but her lips would twitch now and then. And that made Marie's heart _ache_. Her daughter was showing some life and actually reacting to things, as minimal as it was.

How come she hadn't been able to do that around them? Her family?

"I don't think I've seen Youko this happy in months…" Yume whispers, as if mirroring Marie's thoughts. "She's just been watching the world quietly."

Marie nods. "It's the same with Hinata. I don't think I've actually seen her this active, this _alive_ , almost, since before she- _before she got sick_ ".

She admitted it. There. Her daughter might not be physically ill, but she is sick. Somehow. And she needs their help to get better.

Or maybe… maybe she just needs a friend? A fellow odd baby?

It could work. If the Mutous are willing to try it.

"Say, Mrs. Mutou… I think I have an idea".

* * *

This new kid is strange.

Granted, it's the first time in this life that Hinata has even encountered a child her age, but she can just somehow tell that she's different.

Maybe it's her eyes. They're big and a strange shade of purple, unlike the browns and black of her "family".

Maybe it's her hair. It's bright and shiny like the sun, the complete opposite of her "family's" darker toned haired.

Or maybe it's her family name. Youko Mutou… she's definitely heard the name Mutou before. Not just before, as in "Osamu's mentioned them a lot these past few days", but as in _before_ before. The men of the family even make her pause. Their hair coloring and style…..it's _so_ familiar, but she can't place it…..she doesn't have the energy to really.

(She chooses to "forget" that Mrs. Mutou is familiar, but in a vastly different way than the men and the child, too).

Most likely though, it's that glint in her eye. The spark of knowledge and maturity that shouldn't be there. This other child, Youko (how fitting her name is), may look like a toddler, but she doesn't act like one.

Hinata finds herself intrigued.

Across from her, Youko is having similar thoughts. Not just about this Hinata-kid, but also her sister. Her entire family really.

The name Amane Bakura rings a bell. A vague, barely there, bell, but she feels like there's something important in it.

Something else tells her it's not important (probably for her own sanity) at the moment, though, so she focuses on her new… friend? Playmate? She doesn't know why she's been joined by these two kids.

They're cute kids. Their family's hair is odd, not that she can talk really with her own family's hair. Their family name and their hair bother her. She's got this nagging sense that she's missing _something_ , again she pushes it away.

She forces herself to focus on Hinata Bakura instead. Because this girl - this kid - feels just a little too familiar. It feels a lot like looking into a mirror, when she looks into Hinata's eyes. She looks bored beyond belief. Like she couldn't care less about what happened to herself or the world.

She looks as sad as Youko herself has been feeling for months, and while she's slowly moving past that… it's like Hinata is stuck in that stage.

Puzzling. Very puzzling indeed.

* * *

Hina-chan and Oko-chan are so cute! They're so tiny and squishy and she's pretty sure they could fit into the clothes of some of her dolls, if Mommy would let her play dress up with Hina-chan.

Mommy never lets her do anything fun… she's sure if she could just get a chance to play with Hina-chan, she wouldn't be so sad, and then Amane in return wouldn't be so lonely at home, in the apartment where no kids her age live close-by.

Amane wishes Hina-chan would be happier. Then Daddy wouldn't have to worry so much, and Mommy would stop being weird. Maybe they'd stop fighting, too, and play with her again! Maybe… maybe Hina-chan just wants someone to play with, too, like Amane. Maybe Amane's just not the right size at the moment? Maybe that's why they're all the way in Domino City. To buy a friend that's just the right size for Hina-chan. Is that why they're visiting these people? Is that why she and Hina-chan were told to spend time with Oko-chan?

If that's the case, then they need to hurry up and play already, be friends! They're just looking at each other. Amane will not stand for this. What can she do to make them play? Have fun? Mommy would hate it if they just kept watching TV… even if Hina-chan is actually _smiling_ at it. Mommy doesn't like it when she watches too much TV.

Uuuh, blocks! Maybe she could get them to help her build a fort for the dolls and plushies Mommy brought!

"Hina-chan, Oko-chan, lookie here," she says, moving to sit in front of the TV, so the two can't watch it. They look at her. Hina-chan in that weird way she usually watches everything, Oko-chan with something that looks like the face Mommy makes when she's in trouble.

Both babies look at each other with raised eyebrows and the same look Mommy gives Daddy when he's done something silly.

Amane shakes her head and holds up a red block in front of them. "See - see here! Wanna help me build a castle?" She starts placing blocks around her favorite doll - Chiba. "See? Chiba's the pretty princess. She's gonna sit in her castle and look over the land, like this."

She wonders if they understand her. Mommy says Hina-chan is too little to understand much, but… why shouldn't Hina-chan understand her big sister? They have to have a special sister-bond, just like in the movies!

Out of the corner of her eye, she spots Hina-chan pick up a block, pointing towards Chiba. Amane feels satisfied. She knew Mommy was wrong - sister-bond wins!

The wall she's been building suddenly topples over.

Someone behind her snickers. She turns and sees Hina-chan minus the block she had in her hand.

Amane shakes her head. "Hina-chan, no! Don't throw, set it down caarefullyyy," she draws out the world like Daddy did, when he told her this after she accidentally broke that window, because she threw a block.

Her sister-bond will go! She is sure that if she wants it enough, Hina-chan will understand her!

* * *

She's evil. _They're_ evil. Not even 2 years old, and already a massive troll. She doesn't think anyone would blame her though. Especially in her position.

Who knew that frustrating a 6 year old would be so fun and therapeutic?

Certainly not her, that's for sure.

She looks at her new-found partner-in-crime and tries her best to grin. It's a difficult thing for Hinata to do, after so many weeks of just… not.

Youko grins back at her and tosses another block at the other tower. She gives a cackle (really, she shouldn't be able to do that…) as it falls over and Amane cries out in frustration. Which in turn makes an odd sound escape her new playmate.

Hinata huffs in amusement. She really shouldn't, doesn't _want_ to, laugh, but it's difficult not to do it, when Amane is minutes from a tantrum of epic proportions. Just because "Hina-chan" and "Oko-chan" can't understand that blocks aren't things you throw, and they keep knocking over her "fort".

Hinata blinks when a small pudgy hand appears in front of her face. She looks to Youko who's grinning like an imp at her. Slowly, Hinata grasps the hand and they shake (again weird). Youko let's out another cackle and Hinata can't help but to snicker at it.

" _What a weird kid,"_ Hinata thinks. Youko hands her another block to throw, which she does. Both girls laugh loudly and joyfully when Amane shrieks in rage and starts throwing a tantrum.

" _Odd kid,"_ Youko thinks, when Mr. and Mrs. Bakura rush to stop the scene before it can get out of control.

" _Too late."_ Both girls think together as Amane's tantrum escalate and the adults fret and scold her.

It feels like the beginning of a beautiful friendship. She can't wait to see what other chaos they cause in the future.

" _This…..this isn't so bad."_ Hinata thinks with a grin.

If she's going to be an odd child, so be it. At least she won't be alone anymore.

* * *

 **A/N:**

And there you have it everyone! We've now introduced Hinata Bakura! Isn't she an interesting character too?

We again wanted to show their reactions of being human and going through grief. We also wanted to show while two people may go through the same thing, they react differently. Where Youko is vocal and loud, and overall more expressive. Hinata is quiet, cold, and tends to internationalize things. We wanted to really have a contrast about both girls to balance out their similarities.

I would like to clarify that myself and NordicTwin are by no means experts on depression. (Or other things like child development, etc). If we ever make a mistake with anything we portray or use, _**please**_ let us know and inform us if the right things. We do not want to insult, trigger, or offend anyone at all.

At this point, Amane is 5 ½ years old, Hinata is 14 months old and Youko is 16 months old. Youko "woke up" at about 9 months old and went through roughly 5 months of her stages of grief. Hinata "woke up" at 10 months old and is still going through her depression and grief stages.

In another note, while the Mouto's have the Yu theme going for the most part, the Bakura's are another story. We figured from canon that Ryou was British so his family either lived there or one of them was at least British. I chose Marie to be that. (And Marie was just the first name that came to mind). Osamu is the Japanese one and we figure he spent lots of time in England and they moved to Japan later on and that's where they live now. Ah...I'm rambling. Anyways, the name Osamu was actually borrowed from the fanfic author SailorChibi (who has written some _amazing_ and _epic_ Yugioh fics) and their yugioh fics. It's the one name that kept popping into my head and the only one that sounded right. (So I really hope you don't mind SailorChibi). So, yeah….go check out SailorChibis fics you guys!

Shoutout to all those who have viewed the fic, and our new favorite and follows! (VongolaCielo27 and xX-R4CH31-Xx)

And thanks again to the amazingly talented and lovely Moirei for Beta-ing for us!

Thanks for reading you guys and see you all next time on Caught in the Game!

Counting Sinful Stars

 _A/N:_

 _Hi everyone, and welcome back to another chapter of Caught in the Game! Introducing the Bakuras and our second heroine, Hinata Bakura._

 _My, I wonder who she could be. What kind of adventures will she end up having along with her new best friend, Youko Mutou? It's a mystery that will have to be solved at a later date. For now, she'll have to adjust to being reborn, life as a toddler and her depression._

 _Now, I would like to point out that CSS and I aren't experts on certain topics - my only experience with depression is through my sister, who's suffered for years, but is recovering. So if we get anything wrong, feel free to tell us. Same when it comes to any of the characters and details of Yu-Gi-Oh. We know that Amane is sometimes described as both the younger or older sister - we went with her being older in this._

 _I do, however, want to point out that we wanted to have a contrast between how Youko and Hinata reacted to "waking up". Where Youko is raging and angry at her situation, Hinata is just kind of… lost. Her anger is cold and bubbles beneath the surface, while Youko is very vocal about her displeasure._

 _On another note, we borrowed (CSS won't let me say we stole it XD) the name "Osamu" from some of SailorChibi's Yugioh fics, because we thought it fit him. (Go check them out, they're awesome!) Besides, none of the names we could think of screamed "Mr. Bakura"._

 _I don't have much else to say. So! Now we've gone through the first few month of the girls' lives. Youko and Hinata are slowly starting to find their way through life, and making a place for themselves. But will they be able to get through the horrors ahead? What about pre-school? And ball pits full of germs and gunk? Not to mention - other children?!_

 _Find out about all of that and more in the next chapter of Caught in the Game!_

 _Thanks for reading._

 _NordicTwin_

 **Beta/Edited by Moirei**

 **Finished & Published May 11th, 2017**


	4. Back to Life

**Chapter 3 - Back to Life**

Yume can hardly believe her eyes and ears. Really, none of her senses seem all that reliable.

Is she dreaming? She must be dreaming. She has to be. Because what she is seeing and hearing have only ever _happened_ in her dreams. So it _must_ be one.

Youko… Youko is smiling. She's _laughing_. With another child her age.

It's a miracle. It is nothing less than a miracle, and she will do everything to keep it.

"Yakumo, Mr. Bakura. I do not care what it will take. Youko and Hinata will be best friends," she says, grabbing her husband's arm, once Amane has been calmed down after her tantrum.

"I was just about to say the same!" exclaims Marie. "Look at them! They're so… they're so _happy_ ," her voice breaks, tears welling up in her eyes. Well, as happy as Hinata can show. It's not much, but it's so much _more_ than she's ever expressed in _months._

It's beautiful. It's the most beautiful thing in the world.

Even if they're going to have to teach Amane that they couldn't possibly have ruined her block fort on purpose. They're too little to do anything like that. Right?

She doesn't care what it'll cost or take, these girls will be best friends and see each other everyday if it's what gets them to be human and happy, to at least _react_ to things.

"How's the house market around here?" Marie asks, turning to Yume. She can see her husband pale out of the corner of her eye, but doesn't pay too much attention. He _will_ help her do this, come hell or high water.

"No- now dear, isn't that a bit drastic?" He asks nervously. Osamu is all for a happy daughter and family again, but moving all the way to _Domino_?

Marie turns fiery eyes on him. He knows that look. He's going to lose. Maybe not today… but soon.

" _Osamu_ …" she says, her voice sharp and deceptively calm. "Don't you want our baby to be happy?"

He swears his heart stops for a moment. He's in trouble. He is in _so_ much trouble with the wife. He has to deescalate the situation quickly.

"Of _course_ I do, my dear," he stammers. He can see Yakumo and Solomon stifling their laughter out of the corner of his eye. They're _so_ going to get it. "But… isn't this a little drastic? What about Amane's school? And my job back in Kyoto?"

"I heard from father that there's an opening at Tokyo University," Yakumo says 'helpfully'. "Since Itamaia-san is retiring. Isn't that right?"

Solomon nods with a large grin. "It is! Very nice department - don't you remember, Bakura? You studied there for a bit, if memory serves me right".

Almost everyone in the archaeology society - heck, the academic society in general - know that for an old man, Solomon Mutou is still sharp as a tack. So of course he knows that Osamu remembers. Old man Mutou knows _everything_. Somehow. He hates both Mouto men right now. He really does. Throwing him under the bus like this, he will get them back for this. One day.

But not now. Not while Marie is looking so happy, because Hinata is finally showing some kind of positive emotion.

But one day, they're going to get it.

He's sure he could get Yume in on buying a few bottle of pink hair-dye or something. Or putting a strategic red sock in a load of white laundry. Or just throwing them under the bus in return when the time comes. Always fear the wife and her rage.

You can never escape the wife and her rage.

* * *

Marie is up to something. Hinata is sure of it. She's been smothering her less, muttering things under her breath less, stares at her less.

Instead, she's happy to the degree that it's creepy. Like she's a maniac. Giggling, smiling, off in lala-land.

" _Why, oh why, couldn't I have been re-born in a family with a normal, sane mother?"_ She thinks to herself.

She's not quite sure which Marie disturbs her more really. The one in denial or the one that's so happy she's practically skipping.

Based on the agonized looks on Osamu's face, she knows she's not the only one who thinks so. And from what he tells her when he dresses her, she's partly to blame, for some reason.

"You just had to go and start getting happy the second you met the little Mutou girl, didn't you?" He pokes playfully at her stomach. She allows it. Somehow, she feels like she owes him this much, after all the grief she caused. "You couldn't just be happy and make friends with your big sister - the convenient first friend. No, you had to go and latch on to a girl who lives in Domino City, you little demon".

Hinata latches onto a finger and just looks at him. He smiles.

"My odd, little girl," he says, patting her head. "So sad all the time… but we love you all the same. I hope you'll get better soon".

Hinata stares at him thoughtfully. He's such a strange man. But he cares. She starts a little when she _really_ looks at Osamu. " _He's so young."_ She thinks. It takes her a moment to realize that he's probably around her age if not a little older, the same with Marie.

" _When did these people start having kids?"_ She wonders. Going by Amane's age, her guess is they're at least 28-30.

She applauds their dedication to their relationship - having kids at 22 isn't exactly a young age, but it's not old either. And they decided they wanted more.

 _They wanted her to be born._

She blinks in shock at the thought.

Of course they wanted her to be born, all parents do with their children. But it's still…..warming to realize.

" _They're good people."_ She decides. Even if they're odd. She'll never see them as her parents, and she won't call them as such. But she can respect them. For dealing with her, for caring for her, and for raising her.

And with that realization… slowly, her life falls into a routine that isn't just feeling depressed and sleeping.

Over the next several weeks, maybe a few months even, they take many trips to see the Mutou family.

They take turns going to the park, or the zoo, or one of the family houses. Regardless of where they go, they always meet up for play dates.

Marie and Yume get along swimmingly. They're fast friends. Hinata is thankful, it means there's someone else for Marie to focus on than just her.

And Youko isn't exactly bad company, either. Better company than she's had since… well, since she was born again. They're both roughly the same age (Youko is older - she knows, because the little troll was smiling smugly throughout her entire birthday party, and Osamu and Marie were talking about how they had a few more months until the "terrible twos"), but she also shows behaviour that's way more advanced than what is normal.

Hinata knows that too. She sees the books on child behaviour that Osamu keeps looking through. Sees him showing them to Yakumo on occasion. She figures they'll assume Youko and herself are prodigies or something.

She doesn't care. Let them think what they want. Best case scenario, she won't be stuck in pre-school purgatory for as long as she feared. (Though the Japanese school system is vastly different, and much more difficult to maneuver, than the one she was used to… maybe pre-school would be more of a challenge, anyways). She hopes it is or else she'll go crazy from boredom, she's pretty sure Youko would too.

What she doesn't know is… how. How exactly is Youko doing all those things? How is an ordinary 2 year old (smug little bastard) keeping up with someone like her, who has an adult mind? How is this toddler somehow on the same wavelength as her, when it comes to what is funny and interesting? She doesn't care too much for the silly games the kids on the playground engage in - instead, she's much more interested in the puzzles her grandfather presents them with. And although she watches the kids cartoons, so does Hinata. (She's getting to watch her childhood again, she's gonna enjoy it and be nostalgic, damn it. It was hard to find any of her childhood shows and toys as she got older. She's gonna make sure they're saved this time around)

Oh, and pokemon. She's _so_ going to get all of the pokemon related stuff she can, now that she's in Japan. Nothing will stop her. She'll throw as many tantrums as she has to if necessary. Screw her dignity. Almost nothing is beneath her at this point.

Fortunately, it doesn't seem she'll have to. Grandpa Mutou loves to spoil her and Amane, as much as he loves spoiling his biological granddaughter. It seems that they've been unofficially adopted as one big family now. Hinata's pretty sure that Grandpa doesn't mind that at all.

Neither she, nor Amane, mind that at all, either. And if she had fears, once, that Youko would become jealous once she realized this, she has none now. As usual, Youko is incredibly mature about everything. No tantrums, aside from the infamous ones she's heard their parents whisper about - the ones that, eventually, would lead Osamu to seek out the Mutous for help on understanding her own condition.

She wonders what that was about… what could have made her new friend lash out in such a manner? She seems so happy- okay, she cackles like an evil maniac but still. She hasn't done anything to act out, not even cry. So Hinata truly wonders what happened to Youko and what had changed for her.

Maybe… maybe meeting each other wasn't just good for herself, but Youko too. Maybe they've just both been longing for a friend who might one day _understand_.

As unlikely as that is… Hinata allows herself a moment of hope. Just this once.

* * *

Life is better.

Youko wouldn't quite call it _good_ yet, but… it's better. Mostly due to Hinata Bakura.

She's an odd girl. Very quiet. But a fellow troll.

She likes her.

She may just be another 1 year old (not yet two, Youko has that over her, and she _knows_ it bothers her), but she's a clever one. An entertaining one.

So yeah. She likes her.

She's really glad they met. Youko is pretty sure she would have been so bored and gone stir crazy with no friend to hang out with. It's nice to have a fellow troll around. As fun as it is listening to her grandpa's stories, nothing beats messing around with someone who _gets it_. Gets her specific type of comedy.

She doesn't know _how_ Hinata gets it. She just does. And she is so, very happy that she does.

Nothing, yet, gives her greater joy than doing things that make people second guess themselves and confuse them. Like when someone makes an innuendo and no one is sure if they even realize it or not.

She's happy that she's finally got someone to connect with. Even if there's a bit of a gap between their mental ages, she'll latch on to whatever she can that stimulates her mind. Puzzles, story-time where she can follow the words, making sneaky traps for the other kids in the playground with her new best friend… the list is growing. Which is a relief. She'd been afraid that she would run out of things to keep her entertained and her mind stimulated.

And then Hinata "gift-from-the-flipping-gods" Bakura entered her life.

Her mother may be crazy, her father weak to his wife and her older sister annoying in the way most 6-7 year olds are, but she's still a gift. Finally, a kindness from the gods who screwed her over. Royally.

One day, while she's watching a Japanese version of Blue's Clues, she hears her mother talking excitedly on the phone. She assumes it's Marie Bakura that she's talking to, and is about to tune her out when she picks up what her mother is saying.

"You got the house?! That's amazing, Marie! Oh, it'll be so wonderful to have you live closer to us - now the girls can meet up all the time, and go to school together and-"

" _Hinata's moving to Domino?"_ She thinks, excitement bubbling up inside her. That is good news. That is very good news. It's _great_ news. She laughs happily. Finally, she won't have to be alone as often anymore! They'll be able to have so much fun!

Something more bubbles inside her. Like something's finally clicked into place. And instead of laughing again, a loud "Hina-chan!" comes from her throat. A cheer of happiness.

Her first real words.

She can see that Yume stills and goes quiet. "Just a moment, Marie… I think… I think something amazing just happened".

Youko is suddenly face-to-face with her mother, who is looking at her very seriously. "Youko-chan," she whispers. "Did you just speak?"

Something in her wants to just stay quiet. But on the other hand… it's nice to be properly verbal again, so she smiles and repeats herself: "Hina-chan! Hina-chan!"

Then Yume is crying and rushing back to the phone. "Marie! Marie, it's beautiful. Youko just spoke - she did! And guess what? She said 'Hina-chan', happy as can be. I… I'll have to call you back. Yes, it's wonderful. Solomoooon! Youko just said her first words!"

She seems unusually happy about this. Youko gets that she just spoke for the first time, but she didn't think it was that big of a deal.

She tries getting a better feel for her new voice, repeating Hinata's name over and over. Strangely, it feels a little… rough. Like there's an itch, or something frayed in her throat.

Like when you try to clear your throat but that weird feeling of something there remains. She tries humming and while it doesn't hurt, there is an odd feeling in her throat that won't go away. Since she had never really done any talking before, she had never registered it. She had on some level known if was off, she laughed and cackled a lot in the last few months

Her mother doesn't like it. And when she's taken to the doctor a few days later, she knows why. Apparently, her non-stop screaming had done permanent damage to her vocal chords. At least, permanent at the moment. She gets lost when they discuss her options for surgery in the future. They start speaking way too fast for her to follow as her mother gets more distressed.

While Youko isn't pleased by the rasp she has to her voice, she doesn't mind it. She figures she'll either get better and it will go away, or that she will have it the rest of this life. So there's no point in fussing or losing sleep over it.

It's her new voice. She might as well embrace it as it is.

It doesn't take long before other words join Hinata's name in her rapidly expanding vocabulary. It's a lot of basic stuff - Mama, Papa, Grandpa, puzzle (Solomon had been extremely pleased at that one) and various items and foods.

(It seems, even in this life, that she has a very bad sweet tooth. And while she's not a fan of raw fish or many main food courses, they have many foods that she doesn't mind.)

She notices that the Bakura's don't come around for almost a month, in which time she's assuming that they're moving into their new house. She can't wait to see Hinata again, can't wait to see her reaction to Youko speaking.

In that time, she practices like crazy. She wants to say hello to Hinata, wants to ask her questions - the most important one being to formally ask her "want to cause trouble?". To make her her official partner in crime.

She cackles whenever she thinks about it. They'll be the best partners ever.

* * *

The new Bakura home is a pleasant looking one. Two floors, painted white, a mix of traditional and western style. And unlike the Mutou residence, it's got a garden, much to the joy of parents and children alike. It may be small, but there's room for a sandbox and a little swingset which is all they could ask for.

It's not that far from the game shop, either, just a few blocks really. So visits will be much easier and more often.

After a long month of moving and unpacking, the Bakura family is finally moved into their new home. To celebrate, the Mutou's are coming over to see the place and catch up on what had happened in the last month.

Yume is beside herself with joy. She had told Youko that morning what they would be doing and her daughter had laughed joyfully and started saying "hina-chan" over and over. It brings tears of joy to her eyes. Her baby girl was doing so much better. She didn't know who, but whoever it was that brought the Bakura's into their lives, she was eternally grateful. Youko has been bouncing up and down and practically buzzing with excited energy since she learned their plans for the day. Yume has to resist talking like a baby to here, Solomon insisted that Youko is smarter than they think and understands them, they should talk to her as if she were an adult and understood. Even if it feels odd.

And now there they are. In front of the new Bakura home. Youko is squirming in her spot in Yakumo's arms, but they can't have her running off before the door is open. There are cars around, and she could get hurt.

Then the door opens and there's a delighted little shout from a new voice.

"Yow-ko-chan!"

The pronunciation is slightly off, but it's most definitely Youko's name from Hinata Bakura's mouth, and then Yakumo has to put her down, because Hinata has slipped away from her mother and is rushing towards them.

Youko speeds off, almost singing "Hinata-chan!" over and over again, until they collide and jump around in a sort of happy dance.

Yume has to try very hard not to cry, because her daughter is happy and laughing and smiling and so _cute_ that it hurts. She looks to see Marie is in no better condition than she is. It probably means even more to Marie, seeing as Hinata had been silent and depressed compared to Youko's screams and cries. Yume's smile falls a little, she feels the guilt well up as she hears the rasp on her daughter's voice. She pushes it away for now though, this is supposed to be a happy time.

It's not long before the two toddler best friends and Amane are running around the little patch of grass in a game of tag. The girls keep talking and laughing and just speaking. As if they're having a competition of who has learned the most words, or maybe the most difficult. Hinata looks incredibly proud to speak an entire sentence - it may be short, but it looks like it's a major victory for her.

Though when the two eventually stop running and start whispering, Yume feels her mom-senses start tingling.

"They're up to something," she tells Marie and Osamu, from where she's seated by the kitchen table, from which she can see right into the front yard. "My mom-sense are telling me so".

Yakumo snorts. "Please, Dear, they're two. What could they get up to?"

Yume really hates that her husband travels so much, sometimes, because he doesn't even realize half of what those two got up to, before they were verbal. Now that they can communicate with actual words...

"We are going to have no peace now are we?" Osamu asks with a resigned tiredness.

"Nope," Solomon says with a barely hidden grin. "They're going to do great things".

A loud shriek of rage has them looking at the children to see an enraged Amane fall over into the sandbox. Youko and Hinata are standing deceptively innocently a few feet away, grinning like a bunch of loons.

Osamu looks at Solomon with an incredulous expression. "Great things my ass Solomon." He deadpans. "They're going to end up in jail, more likely. Or detention, for starters, once they reach school age".

"My money's on them ruling the world with their closest friends one day as benevolent and much loved and kind gods and goddesses," Yakumo adds with a snicker.

"I believe that I'll go sort things out!" Solomon says hurriedly and moves quickly towards the girls. Osamu and Yakumo watch confused before looking at their wives. Their wives who look _very_ mad and not amused.

"This is not the first time they've done this sort of thing - by far!" Marie sighs, leaning her head on her hand. "Amane is convinced they're doing it on purpose. I'm beginning to believe it's true".

Both men sigh in relief when they see that their wives aren't mad at them.

"Now Marie, they're so young, surely they don't know better."

"Youko can unlock her baby-gate and get to the shop on her own," Yume groans. "And I'm pretty sure she's trying to learn how to read".

"Hinata, too! I have never seen a two year old sit still for so long, it's insane!" Maries adds, looking like the textbook definition of frustration given physical form.

Their frustrated rants are interrupted when Solomon entering the kitchen, the youngest members of the two families held securely by their collars like kittens. "These two have something to explain," he tries (and fails) to say sternly. Instead it comes out in a mix of disappointment and amusement.

"We're so-so-sorree for knocking Ama-nee-chan into the sand," says Hinata, trying to look innocent.

Youko doesn't even bother. She's grinning like a loon and cackling. "Was fun!" She giggles, resulting in Hinata also breaking into snickers of her own.

The wives shoot their husbands "see what we mean" looks.

"And why did you decide that tripping Amane into the sandbox was fun?" Osamu asks.

Both girls look at each other before looking back at their parents. "She fell by herself. We didn't trip her." Youko says slowly, like she's trying to say each word and not mess up. Hinata nods along to what Youko says from where she hangs in Solomons grip.

"We just made her chase us, and then she couldn't react on time, when we turned by the sandbox," says Hinata, just as carefully.

"It was an accident," they declare in unison.

And like that, the Mutou and Bakura families know that those words are going to be repeated an endless amount of times in the future. Said in just the same innocent manner, with the same little smiles and barely hidden snickers.

"We've created little monsters," Yume sighs in defeat, once the girls have gone to the living room to make-up with Amane and watch some cartoons.

Something less… creative to stimulate their advanced sense of humor.

* * *

Amane sits on the couch, pouting out of anger as she watches the cartoon on tv. Youko feels slightly bad for making her so mad, she shares a look with Hinata and sees she feels the same, if slightly less so. Hinata is still not as alive and happy as she could be, but she's getting there.

Still… they need to fix this. Youko has come to value family a lot, now that she's lost hers once before.

"Ama-nee," she says, and climbs up on the couch next to the older girl. "Ama-nee, are you still mad?"

Amane frowns and ignores them. Yes, still mad.

Hinata joins them on the couch with Youko's help - then Amane's, when she sees the two struggling.

"We're sorry, Ama-nee-chan," Hinata says, leaning against her older sister. "We just… ordinary games are _boring_ ".

"We didn't mean to make you mad though." Youko adds as she snuggles into Amane's other side.

Amane finally sighs and reaches her arms out to hold tightly around the two. Then she grumbles: "I _so_ knew you two were doing all of that on purpose all those times, but Mommy and Daddy didn't believe me".

Hinata giggles, wriggling her way into Amane's lap. "Ama-nee is our favorite," she says, hugging her around the neck. "So much more fun than the adults… 'cept maybe Grandpa Solomon".

Youko nods eagerly, "Grandpa is the bestest!" She proudly exclaims. She can faintly hear him say "of course I am!" from the kitchen.

Everything feels nice in that moment. They're all warm and happy and cuddling and there are cookies baking in the oven.

She's happy. She is genuinely happy and content in that moment.

Hinata yawns, and Ama-nee begins to nod, ever so slowly. Her own eyes feel heavier by the second.

Then Amane is gone, and with her, the lovely warmth. That won't do. She crawls across the couch and gives Hinata a little shove. "Move".

Hinata glares balefully at her before moving to make room. Then Amane returns, carrying a blanket and fluffy pillows. All three girls end up in a pile of bodies and limbs, sleeping soundly and contentedly.

In that moment, Youko decides before being claimed by sleep, life is good.

Life is very good.

* * *

 **A/N:**

Well looky here, look what we got written and done in 2 days. The next chapter! Welcome back to CitG my duckies!

Nordic and I had so much fun writing this chapter. It was hilarious coming up with new ways for the girls to be such massive trolls.

Here we get to see some time passing and the girls growing a bit. We see their poor families realizing what they're in for with the girls and how there will be little peace for them really. At one point, I slipped in a minor reference to an AU idea Nordic and I have come up with for CitG. I wonder if you can spot it. ;)

We get to see the moms happy and doing better and being best friends. The poor dads clueless and resigned to appeasing their wives. And Grandpa being an amused enabler who loves his grandkids.

Not much else to say or add really. Plot wise there wasn't much progression. But we did get to see more of their families and interactions and have you connect more with them all.

Uhh…..shoutout to all of the views we've had and all of our current followers and faves and our new follow (Phantomhowl). We've gotten one 'review' so far. PLEASE REVIEW YOU GUYS! We'd love to hear from you all and know what you think!

Thanks again to the amazingly talented and lovely Moirei for Beta-ing for us, as always :)

That's about it really…thanks again for reading you guys and we'll see you next time on Caught in the Game!

Counting Sinful Stars

 _A/N:_

 _So here we are again. It's been such a pleasure. (Portal 2, anyone?)_

 _Welcome back, everyone, to the next chapter of Caught in the Game! In which meddling mothers are determined that their girls become best friends, only to have it backfire when they reveal themselves to be massive trolls XD_

 _Stars and I had a lot of fun writing this chapter. In many ways, our friendship is like that of Youko and Hinata - two trolls, memeing it up and causing all sorts of mischief. Because we're awesome like that._

 _Osamu and Yakumo are caught in their wives schemes and can only nod and say "yes, dear" to it. And Amane becomes the favorite victim of the girls' pranks. It's all okay, because they love each other in the end._

 _Other than that, the girls are finally verbal. As a little tidbit, Yume is excited that Youko is speaking, because she's actually a bit of a late-speaker. (I went and checked several sources on speech development in children. Youko should've spoken before she turned 2). And that little rasp on Youko's voice is going to be there forever._

 _There isn't really much else to say about this chapter. Life moves on, and the girls come to accept their new positions. Grandpa is an enabler who thinks the shenanigans of the little ones are cute, and he uses it as an excuse to start them on puzzles. He will have his prodigies. Let the love of puzzles spread!_

 _That's it for me for now! See you guys next time, and thanks for reading "Caught in the Game"!_

 _NordicTwin_

 **Edited/Beta by Moirei**

 **Finished & Published May 16th, 2017**


	5. Daycare Days

**Chapter 4- Daycare Days**

"Don't leave, Ama-nee!"

Hinata is latched onto the leg of her older sister (she's finally accepted it. Amane at least. It's way easier somehow with her, Marie and Osamu…..not so much), and gives her her best puppy eyes.

Amane is dressed up in a red tunic and a silly little hat. A bag is on her back, and she's holding Osamu's hand.

She's going to school.

So. Not. Fair.

How is she going to survive? How is she going to stay entertained while Amane is away? She has Youko, of course, but they've both got lives outside of their friendship.

They may not be exciting lives, seeing as they're just about 2 years old, but they can't be together all the time. Hinata needs her space - even concerning her way-too-smart best friend. (She's pretty sure Youko feels and thinks the same way.)

Amane laughs and pulls on her hands. She may be only six, but against a toddler, even a very determined one, she easily breaks her hold, and Hinata soon finds herself in Marie's arms.

"I'm just going to school, Hina-chan," she says kindly. "I'll be back in a few hours".

"Too long!" Says Hinata. "Take me with you!"

No way does she want to be all alone with no familiar forms of entertainment. Or left alone with Marie for so long.

"It's soooo boring without you nee-chan!" She whines, sniffling a little as she feels her nose start to run.

Odd… she doesn't feel like she's about to cry...

She can see Amane crack. Her eyes have got that familiar shine of "cute!" in them, and she is so close to saying yes - either to staying home or taking her with her.

Besides, she wouldn't want her favorite sister to start crying, right?

So of course Osamu cuts in like the responsible parent he has to be, his powers of fatherly mind-reading or something ruining everything.

"Oh, no you don't. You're going to school, Amane, and Hinata is staying here with Mommy," he says sternly, giving his oldest daughter a little push towards the door. "And you, little lady," he says to his youngest "are going to behave. No playing tricks on Mommy, no causing mischief, no tears just to get your way. We just got this house. I don't want to see it in pieces when I get home".

"But Father-"

"No buts, Hinata," he says, kneeling to her level. "I admire your dedication to learning and to your sister, but you're barely even 2. There are so many other things for you to do, before we lose you to books;" his smile is kind, but still stern. He then pats her head and leaves with her only source of entertainment.

Hinata feels a sense of dread as she's left alone with Marie. While she had gotten better, Marie still had some odd moments.

She was also so very _boring_.

Hinata is aware that most of the adults around her (that being her parents and the Mutous) know both she and Youko are much smarter than average toddlers. Youko's shown her folders from elite pre-schools, but they cost way more than either family can afford.

And yet Marie still insists on treating her as if she's just an ordinary 2 year old. Won't let her try to read, won't let her attempt to solve anything more advanced than putting coloured blocks and shapes through the correct holes in a little box.

It's infuriating.

She can't stand it, _won't_ stand it anymore.

So if she has to go to drastic measure to snap Marie out of her delusion, so be it.

Of course she will be a mature adult and not throw tantrums like a child. But the doesn't mean she can't try to knock some sense into the woman with a few well-timed looks and _NOs_. Or maybe run and hide.

Her plans are thwarted when Marie picks her up and declares she's got a very special surprise for her "little girl". (Little does she know her so-called "little girl" is at least the same age as her if not a little younger).

The surprise, much to her horror, is that she's going to daycare. Really, it's like a massive, indoor playground with strange adults watching her, but still… daycare.

Purgatory is more like it.

At least Youko is there and suffering with her.

All of those _germs_ and all of the _drool_.

It's so _gross._ She can practically _feel_ herself getting sick, just by breathing in the same air as these little monsters. What she wouldn't do for a bottle of hand-sanitizer...

Hinata plans on making Osamu suffer until something better happens. She's glad to be away from Marie, but surrounded by babies and workers who treat her just as badly as Marie? No thanks.

Youko is lucky, her family treats her like she's an adult for the most part. Mainly thanks to Grandpa Solomon always being around with his puzzles, and Yume having given up on stopping him.

Maybe Hinata can get Grandpa to have a chat with Marie. Surely he'll be able to talk some sense into the woman. Hopefully _before_ Hinata has to take drastic measures.

So here she is, huddled and hidden away in the corner of the room, Youko next to her, as they watch with fascinated horror at the chaos all around them.

"Demons. We're surrounded by demons." Youko whispers with wide eyes. Hinata can only nod in agreement. This is so much worse than what she remembers daycare being like in her first life.

Don't get Hinata wrong, she loves kids and can't wait to be a mom, but this? This is terrifying. They're acting like a bunch of rabid demons or something. She feels pity for the poor workers, they all looked overworked and exhausted and the day has hardly begun.

"Maybe if we stay quiet and don't move, they won't notice us," she whispers back.

Youko nods in agreement and grumbles out, "This is inhumane and evil. I'd rather be at home and bored then _here_." Her words are punctuated by a hard sneeze and then a cough. "Yuck. I dread to think what I'm even breathing in here. Aside from the dust."

Hinata starts looking around. There _has_ to be a way out of this place. A door, a window, a ventilation shaft. Anything! The gods brought her Youko to stop her boredom - surely they wouldn't let their "chosen one" suffer through this hell?

"Hi!"

Hinata jumps and Youko stiffens at the sudden voice behind them. She spins around, on guard immediately, only to be faced with another kid. Brown hair in a little ponytail, blue eyes. Ordinary - nothing like Hinata's own white coloration.

She's smiling at them, looking as friendly as can be. "I'm Tea!" She says. "I haven't seen you before, wanna play?"

She's just a kid. Tiny, round in the way most children their age are. There's nothing about her that gives any indication that she's going to be anything special when she grows up, a plain Jane. She'll just be boring.

And yet… something in Hinata just screams "friend, special, say yes". Everything tells her that this little girl, somehow, is important in ways her adult mind has yet to understand.

She looks at Youko. Wants to know what the other girl thinks. Only to be surprised when Youko smiles back and holds out a hand.

"Sure! My name's Mutou Youko. This is Bakura Hinata".

Hinata holds out her own hand, and they do a sort of off three-way handshake. "Nice… nice to meet you," she says, trying to figure out what's appropriate language in this situation. She doesn't want to freak out their (possibly) new friend by sounding like an adult.

"Do you wanna dance with me?" Tea asks excitedly.

Hinata and Youko share a look before smiling, "Sure." "I'd love to!"

' _Maybe this won't be so bad after all'_ both girls think.

But it's still humiliating to have to participate in all of the kiddy-things like nap-time and "fun with letters!" type of stuff though.

Tea is a sweet kid, Hinata comes to learn. She's really chatty - speaks a mile-a-minute - without it being totally annoying. Rather than spewing off nonsense, she introduces them to the surprisingly complex "laws" of the daycare. Which places are access-only for the bigger kids, which adult is more prone to handing out snacks early, which kids she thinks they should avoid (bullies, more often than not) and stuff like that.

It's all mind blowing how even so young, the children have a system.

' _Maybe'_ they think, ' _this won't be so boring after all.'_

* * *

' _This is boring.'_ Youko thinks with annoyance, after a few weeks of attending the mess that is Chess Road Daycare.

It had been somewhat fun and exciting at first. Meeting Tea was nice, and some of the adults were tolerable. But other than that… torture. Pure mind numbing torture.

Oh, she remembers the expectant looks on her parents' faces when they'd finally come around to picking her and Hinata up. Most likely awaiting tall tales of how fun it was and all the new people they met and the new friends they made.

Their bubbles were burst pretty quickly. Both she and Hinata just gave them a _look_ (okay, they glared, their parents were in the proverbial dog houses with them both) and kept their little mouths shut, walking right past them towards Amane and Grandpa.

They totally knew it, too. Her parents are very easy to read. Especially when they react to her various expressions. It had cost her Grandpa five of her favorite chocolate/vanilla-filled cookie-bears to make her talk. And even then, she spoke just one sentence:

"I'm not going back and you can't make me."

If they wanted to know what she thought, she'd give it to them. If they wanted to know about any new friends, she'd let them find out about Tea on their own.

Screw them and their damn expectations.

Youko does feel bad for Hinata though. At least her own parents treat her like she's an adult and value her opinion. Hinata isn't so lucky. With Osamu being practically spineless to his wife and with Marie having her delusional fantasies and expectations…..Hinata doesn't even get treated like a person almost. She's just their "little girl" who's "a baby" and "doesn't know better."

A doll. That's what Marie treats her like. A pretty, little doll of porcelain to put on a shelf and admire.

Youko feels like there's something wrong with Marie. She knows Hinata feels the same way, they've talked about it many times. They just don't know what's wrong with her.

Youko sighs, both annoyed and tired. She's not sure how much more of this she can take. She looks around at the kids around her before sighing again. They're all cute but they still are little monsters.

She makes eye contact with Hinata and sees that her best friend is ready to snap. Not that she can blame her, she feels the same way. They've both been stressed and so _tired_ lately.

 _Great_.

Not even 3 years old and they're stressed out to the point that they're not getting enough rest. Just _great_. Living the dream, they are.

A particularly violent sneeze shoots through her, to the point where nearby kids get startled and look at her.

Youko shakes her head and rubs her nose to soothe it. " _That was uncomfortable."_ She thinks while rubbing her nose.

"Are you sick?"

Youko looks up and sees that a little boy has come over to her.

His bright blonde hair is almost as bright and as yellow as hers is. He's frowning a bit and scrunching up his nose at her, as if the thought of her being sick is gross, which, to be fair, it is.

"What if I am?" She grumbles. She doesn't think it's any of his business.

He plops down next to her, rocking back and forth as if in thought. "I didn't see ya' playin' in the ballpit," he says, frowning as if his entire world has been flipped upside down.

This kid makes no sense, and she looks at him in disbelief. "'Course I didn't. The ballpit is gross. Did you know someone found a half-eaten lollipop in there?" She shudders and makes a noise of utter disgust at just the thought of the "treasure" that had been found a few days back. "No thanks, not going anywhere near it".

"Then how'd ya' get sick?" He asks. Youko doesn't answer him. It _really_ isn't any of his business, and she just wants him to go away so she can be miserable in peace. But he appears to take her silence for confusion, because he begins explaining why he asked her.

"My mommy says I should stay 'way from the ballpit, 'cause it's full of germs 'n such, and I'll get sick if I play in it," he looks at her curiously. "So how'd ya' get sick without playin' in the ballpit?"

"Well I'm not sick. You can sneeze from things that irritate your nose. Your nose gets uncomfortable and so it makes you sneeze to protect itself and your body." She explained slowly and as simply as she could to the boy.

"Oh….okay," accepting her explanation easily with a shrug.

They sit there in awkward silence for a bit, Youko trying to focus on the puzzle-cube she brought from home and the boy just looking at her.

"So, how'd ya' get the sharpie to draw on your hair? It's not drawin'-time yet," he asks, suddenly reaching out towards her head. Youko immediately jerks back and scowls at him.

"I've got no idea what you're talking about," she grumbles, getting more and more irritated.

She'd been despairing over her hair for over a week now. She had been hoping she would avoid the family hair style and coloring but she guessed not now. Waking up one morning to her beautiful golden hair having streaks in it had been quite the shock.

"Liar - they're everywhere in your hair!" The boy accuses her. "Did someone help you? Did ya' sneak behind the grown-ups backs?"

 _He's just a kid_ , Youko has to remind herself. His view on reality is horribly twisted by his under-developed brain, it's not his fault.

It doesn't help that her family's hair is so odd even in this world. He probably can't fathom the idea of such unnatural hair really. Adults have the problem too.

"Look, it's just the way my hair is. My dad and grandpa have the same problem, okay?" She sighs, getting up from her spot to put the puzzle in her little drawer.

" _Hinata is lucky that she doesn't have this problem."_ She thinks with envy.

The oddly-persistent boy follows her. "I'm gonna tell on you," he says. "We're not allowed to take things - especially outside of drawin'-time. Hey, miss! Miss Rihoda, she took a sharpie and drew on her hair!"

The woman in question (a young woman who has, fortunately, met both her father and grandfather before) comes over and looks at Youko, briefly running her hand through her hair. Then she smiles. "Looks like you're getting that family hair-colour, Youko-chan," she says calmly.

Youko huffs, easily seeing the woman trying not to laugh. Miss Rihoda smiles sheepishly and in sympathy.

It falls, however, when she turns a stern look on the boy. "I'm very disappointed in you, Joey-chan. Trying to get little Youko-chan in trouble like that".

Youko slumps at being called little. Another thing she prays for, that she'll be as tall as she was in her first life. She freezes for a moment when she registers the boys name, it's so _familiar_. Warning bells are going off in her head but she doesn't know why. She brushes it off, it's probably nothing.

She does feel a little bad that he's getting scolded. Annoying or not, he was just trying to do the right thing, and if he'd called (almost) anyone else over, she would be the one scolded and he praised.

Which was hardly fair, but people were ignorant and refused to believe in things that could be real.

For the rest of the day, it appears that the boy is staying away from her, though she keeps catching him staring at her. It's all fine with her - she does her best to stay away from him, and hopes to god that it stays that way.

It doesn't stay that way.

The next day, while she's fiddling with her puzzle and waiting for Hinata and Tea to arrive, the little boy finds her once again and sits down next to her.

"My name's Joey Wheeler," he says immediately. "I'm sorry for ac-accu- accusin' you of bein' a liar yesterday. Wanna be friends?"

Youko looks at him. There's that strange familiarity about him, similar to the one she felt when meeting Tea. It's only stronger now he's told her his full name. His hair is messy, and she's pretty sure she saw him come from the direction of the ballpit, despite his claim that his mom doesn't want him to play in it.

"Did you play in the ballpit?" She asks. He nods, grinning. "Why? Didn't you say your mom doesn't want you to play in it?"

"Yeah," he says, leaning back until he's laying on the floor. "But what mommy doesn't know won't hurt her - that's what my daddy always says. Done it loads of times - haven't gotten sick yet, besides" he smirks at her, "it's fun to mess with mommy".

Youko raises an eyebrow. He sounds like a little troublemaker. Like he's going to be a real pain to deal with. And she'll definitely have to make him quit going into that disgusting deathtrap of trash and bacteria and who-knows-what.

But damn it if she doesn't see potential in this boy. Between him, Hinata and herself, they could probably get into all sorts of mischief.

So she shrugs and decides to go with the flow. "Sure, we can be friends," she says. "I'm Mutou Youko".

The boy cheers and holds out his hand to shake. Youko just scoots away and points to the bathrooms.

"Rule number 1 of being my friend," she says. "Wash your hands after doing anything. _Especially_ after you've gone to the ballpit".

* * *

When Hinata finds Youko in the chaos that is their daycare that morning, she did not expect her to be accompanied by a blonde boy with dirt on his clothes. Nor did she expect Youko to be calmly teaching said boy about the puzzle she's been working on for weeks.

"Youko, who's this, and why?" She asks, sitting down on a pillow next to her best friend.

"He's Joey Wheeler," Youko says, not looking up from the puzzle. "He accused me of drawing on my hair yesterday, and now we're friends. I've decided that we're going to like him".

Joey gives her a little wave in greeting.

Hinata smiles at him briefly then looks back at Youko. "So another friend for our group, huh? Tea will be thrilled." She says with a chuckle.

"What's your name?" Joey asks, grinning at her.

"Oh. I apologize, I am Bakura, Hinata." She says with a slight bow.

"And I'm Tea!" Calls out a familiar voice, as Tea appears right next to all of them. She looks at Joey with delight. "A new friend?"

"Yeah!" He grins at her, then looks around at their little group. "So what do you guys wanna play?"

Hinata hums to herself. "Not the ballpit - that's icky. The sandbox - no, that's occupied… and broken, Anko jumped on the side of it yesterday. The swingset has been conquered by Kim and his cronies. But the giant pillow-blocks are free… want to go make something with them?"

"Yeah! Let's make a big castle!" Joey yells in excitement.

And so they do. They give each other roles to play. Tea is the princess, because she's wearing the prettiest outfit that day (it has to be, she reasons, it's got glitter and ruffles on it). Youko is the castle witch, because she's always fiddling with her puzzles/secretly magical objects. Hinata is the guardian/protector, because every castle needs one and they don't have enough people. And Joey is the dragon.

Despite only being four 2-3 year olds and not very tall, they still manage to make a pretty impressive castle. They even have room for a throne and a little tower and gate, in front of which Joey begins roaring and narrating.

Hinata's got to give it to Joey, he's very good at what he's doing and is very enthusiastic. And he makes some fairly realistic roars, too. Kid's got lungs.

"I've come to kidnap the pretty chess princess!" He declares proudly. "Give her to me, or I will destroy your castle!"

"Oh no, a dragon - just outside our gates!" Tea gasps. "Oh, my brave subjects, whatever should we do? How do we keep this beast away?"

"Fear not, Princess Tea!" Youko says. "Your loyal knight, Hinata-chan, will defeat this beast for you, with the sword I have enchanted".

" _This is actually fun._ " Hinata thinks with a large grin.

The "sword" is actually a fish-plushie, but it works well enough for their purposes without hurting anyone. Youko holds her puzzle-cube over the fish and murmurs nonsense-words, before sending Hinata on her way."Go! Go slay the dragon Joey!"

"Rawr! You will never beat me!"

They have fun for awhile. Having mock-battles and laughing. At one point, Tea declares herself a warrior princess and goes to join Hinata with Youko, so they together can take down the formidable opponent that is Joey the Dragon.

So of course it doesn't last.

Youko is the one who spots them. A group of five boys, headed by _that one kid on the playground_ , all coming in their direction. "Here comes trouble," she whispers to Hinata. They'd all fallen over into the pillows, tired and laughing, but now Youko jumps to her feet.

Hinata does the same, dragging Joey with her in the progress, who in turn whispers for Tea to get up. No way is she going to face them while vulnerable and on the ground.

"What do you want, Kim?" Youko says, scowling at the bully.

The brat sneers at them, as best he can, he's only 4 so it's not that intimidating. He ignores Youko's question completely in order to look at Joey.

"You!" He demands rudely. "Why're you playing with girls? _Especially_ these freaks?"

Kim (she doesn't know if it's his actual name or just his surname, but Tea says he's Korean, so Hinata assumes it's his surname and that he doesn't answer to his first name) has had it out for their little group since almost day one, even before Joey joined. Hinata knows it's because they don't act like the other kids. They don't fit in.

More importantly: they don't fear him. He's the typical school bully. Average, mean, spoiled and a little chubby, he wants the kids to fear him and adults to adore him. Unfortunately for him, Hinata and Youko aren't normal kids. That makes them targets.

Fortunately for them, they're quick on their feet and almost always three steps ahead of him in anything. And they've passed that knowledge along to Tea. Hinata hopes Youko's done something similar with Joey before they arrived.

Joey frowns and puffs out his chest. "Why shouldn't I? They're nice, and it's fun!"

"But they're _girls_!" Another little boy argues. Kim nods in agreement.

"And total _losers and freaks_!" He adds, pointing at them. Both Hinata and Youko roll their eyes at the childish name calling.

"Just because we actually have a brain, doesn't mean we're freaks," Hinata says primly. "It just means we know not to be afraid of a bully like you."

"Especially one as incompetent as you are." Youko adds duly. That seems to make the boy mad, he doesn't know what she fully said but it can't be good.

""I'm not inc-incompatint," he growls, failing at pronouncing the word. "I bet that's not even a word! You're just a liar, making up things!"

While he's distracted, Hinata takes a small step to the left and taps a little code on Youko's back and simultaneously making a little motion with her other hand to Tea behind her.

It's time.

Tea slips away from the group to get help while the bullies are distracted.

"Ko-chan's no liar!" Joey defends Youko vehemently. "And she hasn't drawn on her hair, like ya' said yesterday! That's just the way it is," he huffs. "I asked my mommy 'bout it. She said some people's hair jus' changes as they grow older".

"Then she's even more of a freak," Kim argues. "Only old people's hair changes colours - and stupid, baby Youko isn't an old granny," he smirks. "Unless she is and is lying about her age. Same with the white-haired freak over there".

" _Harry Potter vibes are strong here._ " Hinata thinks with a deadpan.

Kim and his so-called friends start chanting "grannies, grannies, grannies" over and over. Except for one kid in the back, who looks somewhat reluctant.

"Is this for real?" Youko whispers to her in disbelief.

Hinata fights the urge to facepalm. Undoubtedly, Kim would think she was about to cry and taunt her for it more. "I hate this brat," she whispers back - maybe a little too loudly on purpose.

Kim's face got red. "Who're you calling a brat?" He growls, stepping forwards. At once, Joey spreads out his arms protectively and glares harshly, his entire posture screaming "don't you dare" - she almost expects him to say "try me, bitch" for good measure.

Hinata can feel her respect for this kid increase rapidly. She equates him to a dog really, once you have his respect and loyalty, you have a friend for life.

The kid in the back of the group is looking more uncomfortable. He really doesn't want to be there but is too scared to say anything or walk away. Unfortunately for him, Kim seems to sense that and rounds on the poor boy.

"What's wrong Tristan? _Scared_? Come on! Tell the _freaks_ what you think!" He goads, threatening the poor boy.

The boy hesitates for a moment. He looks between their little group and Kim - his eyes linger on the way Joey stands protectively in front of Hinata and Youko. Then he clenches his hands and says defiantly, "I'm not scared! I just didn't know you were going to go pick on girls, when you asked if I wanted to be in on something fun. That's just wrong! You're a bully!"

"I am not you- you _freak_!" Kim yells in anger.

Youko sniffs daintily, "Your vocabulary is lacking and your brain small if all you're using is freak as an insult."

That seems to do it for him. "Let's get them, boys," he growls, crouching as if to jump at him.

None of the boys react. They just look at him in disbelief.

"Do you have any idea how much trouble we'd be in?" A kid says. "Calling names is one thing, but I'm not hitting a girl. My mama and papa wouldn't be happy".

The rest of them nod and step away, muttering about not wanting to be punished. Some say "Tristan's right, this isn't fun at all" and similar.

"It would appear that your so-called friends aren't so willing to help you anymore," Hinata comments calmly, looking down at her nails. "I'd say it's cowardice, but it takes true bravery to go against the petty bully."

Youko nods in agreement. "Good job boys, it's not always easy to go against some people. Learn to pick good friends." She praises them with a smile.

The boy. Tristan moves forward towards them. "I'm sorr,." he mumbles.

"Don't ignore me!" Kim yells, his voice shrill - borderline on the noise-level of a kid having a tantrum in a grocery store. "You freaks! You've infested my- my-" he doesn't finish his sentence (most likely because he knows he never really saw them as friends) and ends on a sound the girls think is supposed to be threatening.

It's more saddening though, he sounds like a wounded animal of some sort.

"Just go away, Kim," Hinata says. "Find someone else to bother".

Joey grins and turns to Hinata. "So, want to get back to being defeated? I am a mighty dragon, after all!"

Hinata grins in amusement at the boy, "Us? Defeated? In your dreams Wheeler! We were beating you!"

"Hey, want to play dragons and warriors with us?" Youko holds her hand out towards Tristan. "We could use a guy to man the cannons and help us defeat the dragon Joey." (And by canons, she means chucking the stuffed dolls and pillows at Joey.)

Tristan smiles happily. "Sure!" He says. "Charge!"

Someone charges, but it isn't anyone of them.

It's Kim.

"I said: don't ignore me, you fucking freaks!" He yells loudly, running to grab at Youko's long hair.

Joey is there in a second, Tristan not far behind, pulling him to the ground. In the same second a deep voice starts yelling.

"SUNG-MIN KIM! What on earth do you think you're doing?!" The head watcher demands as he stalks over to the group. The two girls quickly pull Joey and Tristan up and out of the way of the enraged man.

' _Finally'_ both girls think, it's about time Kim got caught and taken care of.

What follows is a mess of angry adults and a hysterical Kim, who somehow manages to trash the daycare leader's office during a single tantrum, after he went violent on them for being caught. He tries to put the blame on their little group, but apparently a lot more kids had been looking than Hinata had expected. Not only did Kim's little gang tell on him, a lot of witnesses spoke in their favour, too.

Youko dubs it The Great Checkmate of Chess Road Daycare.

Hinata isn't as amused as Youko is by the title. She was against it when Youko had wanted to call their plan "Operation Checkmate", and she still thinks it's stupid.

Amusing, but stupid. Youko takes great joy in puns apparently. It's a love-hate feeling really, for both of them. Youko just loves them more, when she's the one making them.

As for their parents and grandpa, they get mixed results. Grandpa Solomon is proud of them - laughs and calls them his little geniuses and gives them lollipops. Youko's parents are just exasperated (because _of course_ their daughter would plan something like that), and her own… well…

Osamu isn't thrilled. He doesn't understand that just telling the adults the regular way would not have worked, because Kim is a sneaky little prick, and they had to catch him in the act. Make him snap. And Marie… Marie freaks out on the caretakers.

Hinata wants to be surprised but….she can't dredge up the feeling. All she feels is tired resignation really. She also feels sympathy for the caretakers. They really don't deserve the attention or wrath of Marie Bakura. It's not pleasant to have her attention fixated on you.

From the way Osamu holds a hand on her arm, she doesn't think it too farfetched that her mother would attack an employee in the best/worst soccer-mom fashion.

Hinata groans and covers her face as Marie gets louder. She feels Youko come up to her and pat her shoulder in sympathy. The other kids of their little group stare from afar.

She hears Joey try to whisper quietly and fail. "Wow. That lady is _crazy_."

Discreetly, the two make their way over. "That lady is my mom," Hinata says dryly. At the horrified look on Joey's face at that realization, she snorts. "Don't worry. I know she's crazy. Nothing to be done about it."

The door of the office finally slams and Marie storms over and picks Hinata off the ground, barely even noticing the other kids, and turns around to walk out of the building, ranting to Osamu about needing to take Hinata "out of this god-awful place".

* * *

Poor Hinata looks resigned and annoyed and goes limp in Marie's arms the second she's picked up. Way more used to that behaviour than she should be.

Youko watches her go, feeling nothing but a relieved kind of sympathy. Her parents then call out to her, and she turns around to wave at her friends. "See you tomorrow? We can continue our castle-adventures, the five of us".

The three kids give cheerful affirmatives. All promising to bring things to do and that they'll all have fun.

Youko smiles and waves goodbye before scrambling after her retreating family.

The next few days are both good and bad. Good, because she's actually managed to form a group of fairly tight-knit friends her own (physical) age, and because Sung-Min Kim the bully's parents have been "asked" to find another daycare for their son.

But they're also bad, because she feels worse with each passing day. Weaker.

It's not much, in the beginning. A few sneezes and sniffles here and there, the odd cough. But she's not blind to the first few symptoms of a cold, and though she tries valiantly to stop it, she knows it's going to hit her.

It's only a small consolation that Hinata appears to be displaying the same symptoms, so she's not suffering alone.

She can tell Hinata feels the same about not suffering alone. It's nice to share the "burden" with someone instead of by yourself.

A downside is that their new friends are catching on rather quickly that they're not feeling quite well. She notices that Tea starts bringing tissues to daycare - she's always got one ready when they sneeze. She regular sees Joey and Tristan by the little sink fit for their diminutive sizes, diligently washing their hands after touching anything. Little things that show they care and worry.

They tell them they're fine. That they'll be well again soon. Only...

They don't.

It all happens rather quickly. One moment she's engaged in a vigorous game of tag on the little lawn just outside the daycare. The next the world is suddenly swimming and Youko falls over. She can faintly hear noises, though mostly static. Then there's a hand on her forehead and someone yelling "Miss! Miss, come quickly!".

The world fades to black.

* * *

 **A/N:**

Hello again my duckies! Welcome back to the next chapter of CitG!

We see the girls growing and experiencing more of their new life and interacting with others. The mini gang has arrived and befriended each other, and we tied in an event that would solidify their friendship. :)

We also saw hints that Marie Bakura is not all there and well, and yes, there is a good explanation for it. She isn't just crazy or anything for no reason.

And also, subtlety, you can see Hinata and Youko slowly falling sick before it hits them fully. There is a reason for them getting sick which will be explained later on as well.

Not much else going on really for this chapter. We wanted to sum up their daycare days all together though and show them meeting the gang (though they don't actually know it yet) and befriending them. This chapter goes over roughly 3-5 months or so of their lives. The girls are roughly almost 3 or so.

This chapter was pretty challenging to write surprisingly, not sure why. But we're happy that it's done. :)

On another note, there may not be any updates for the next month or so. (Nordic explains why in her A/N). There may not be any or just limited updates really. I will try to write and post by myself if I can, but I won't make any promises. And if not chapter updates, maybe I can attempt to write some snippets and side stories for CitG. We'll see though.

A shoutout to all of the views we've had and all of our current followers and faves and our new followers and favorites (calcu22 and Kirino Tsuki). We've received several reviews (Yay!) since last chapter, which made us both so happy! (okay, so I fangirled when Panda-chan31 reviewed) So thank you and please continue to review and tell us what you think of CitG! (and calcu22, your question will be answered within the next few chapters :) ) And on a final note, CitG was added to the community "The Archive for Self Inserts and Original Characters" as well, so….cool? :)

Thanks again to the amazingly talented and lovely Moirei for Beta-ing for us, as always :)

Hm….That's really all I can think of this time, so thanks again for reading my duckies and we'll see you all next time on Caught in the Game!

Counting Sinful Stars

 _A/N: Hey everyone! Welcome back for more "Caught in the Game" :D_

 _In which the girls experience the_ _horrors_ _wonders of daycare! Oh boy, this was a tricky one to write. And the gang is formed - chibi-style! Woohoo!_

 _We pretty much wanted to knock-out all that we could about their daycare days in this chapter. Lots of significant stuff happens here. Meeting Tea, Joey and Tristan being the most important one. Oh and, of course, another issue arising: the matter of the girls' health. It might seem a little strange, at first, but trust us - this is going to be very important later on._

 _This chapter was pretty much an outlet for us to write a lot of mini-gang fluff and such, though we also wanted there to be a little conflict. A reason for them all to be such close friends. And no better way to do that than taking down a bully. That was by far the most uncomfortable thing to write about this. Bullies are awful, and we can all remember that one kid who'd make everyone's life hell. Not fun at all. Sung-min Kim may or may not return at a later point, just as a heads up. We don't know for sure, yet._

 _Another heads up is that we're going to go on a short hiatus for about a month. I'm a poor college student, you see, and on the 24th, I enter a month of finals. Just a year more, after this, and I'll get my bachelor's degree in English! Also, throughout the summer, updates might not be as frequent, because of vacation and various other projects._

 _That covers it from me. Thank you guys so much for reading, and for the lovely reviews we've gotten this time around! Nothing motivates us more!_

 _See you guys next time!_

 _NordicTwin_

 **Edited/Beta by Moirei**

 **Finished & Published May 24th, 2017**


	6. Life Goes On

**Chapter 5- Life Goes On**

Youko wakes up to a bright light. A _very_ harsh, bright light directly above her. It hurts her eyes, and she whimpers. She wants it to go away. Why isn't it going away?

Her skin feels warm. Burning. Her throat is parched and she aches all over. What happened? Where is she?

"Mmm… mommy?" She tries to say, calling for one of the few constants in her new life. Mom must be near. She always is in the mornings. But her voice is even more rough than before and incredibly weak.

It hurts.

To move, to talk, to even breathe.

"Youko?!"

It's her mom's voice. Ah, so she was nearby. Good.

"Ko-Chan! Oh thank goodness." That's her grandpa's voice. Odd, usually only one of them is with her to get up in the mornings.

"Nurse? Nurse, please, someone! She's woken up!" Her mom calls frantically. "Yakumo, come in here! Oh, thank the gods, thank you".

She's crying. Or she sounds like she's crying. Youko still doesn't want to open her eyes all that much - her vision is blurry, anyways. But… why is her mom crying? Did something happen. And why would she call for a…

Oh…..

…...That can't be good.

Someone walks into the room and then there is a cold hand on her forehead. She tries to move away from it, but it stubbornly stays there. She makes a displeased little noise in the back of her throat, mumbling a weak "no" before breaking into a painful coughing fit.

"Well, it feels like her fever is down," a new, lighter voice says. "And she's responding to touch. But we can know anything for sure until we've taken her temperature".

Youko whines in pain when the coughing _finally_ subsides. It _hurts_. "M'hurts mommy." She whimpers, her eyes clenched shut tightly, a few tears escape them though.

Yume sobs. "Oh, my sweet baby. I know. I'm so sorry," a familiar hand grabs her own tightly. "We're going to get you better. Soon it'll all be over and you'll be as good as new".

She hopes that her mom is telling the truth. She doesn't want to feel this tired and hurt anymore.

"M'tired." She croaks out weakly.

Her father's voice joins in. "Sleep then, Chibi. Rest," he says. She can feel his hand running through her hair gently.

"You'll feel better soon Ko-chan." Her grandfather's calming voice says, she feels him hold her other hand gently. Nearby, her mother is humming a lullaby.

Slowly, it get darker again. More quiet.

She sleeps.

* * *

There is nothing more terrifying to a parent than to receive a call and be told that your child has collapsed and been rushed to the hospital.

No. That's not quite right, as Yume comes to realize. The _most_ terrifying thing in the world to a parent is to have your child rushed to the hospital, and then that child just won't wake up.

It's been three days.

Three hellishly _long_ and heartbreaking days.

She feels terrible for envying Marie and Osamu and their happiness, when Hinata had woken up after just two days. She'd even been half-aware of her surroundings, looking at things through hazy eyes. Marie had been crying for hours at it, over-joyed.

Yume herself had just sat quietly by Youko's bed, silently begging her girl to just _open her eyes_.

When she finally does open them, it's not for long. But she is relieved, even if her child is in pain and weak. She's _alive_ at least.

She's going to survive. That's what the doctors tell them. Soon, her baby will be up and running around like before, causing all sorts of mischief and looking at the world with those bright, curious eyes. Soon her little girl with sunshine hair (that has been darkening more and more each day, making it look adorably like the fur of a little tiger) will be back to her old routines.

Back to playing with the three friends, not counting Hinata, that they had known nothing about until their parents showed up at the hospital with their worried offspring.

A little girl and two boys… who would've thought.

Neither Youko or Hinata had shown any….interest in others their age. So to see not one but three little children claiming to be their friends is quite the shock indeed.

Hinata, in one of her moments of being awake, had reluctantly explained that it was their way of getting justice for being left at the daycare. They wouldn't make (too big of) a fuss going there, but they weren't going to make it easy for them to learn anything. And they weren't happy about it. A mumbled "be thankful we didn't do worse" was given before the little girl passed back out.

Marie had just sat there in shocked silence, same with Yakumo, while Osamu, Solomon and herself had burst into helpless laughter. Because of course. Of course their children would do something like that. What had they even expected, when they had gotten annoyed looks and cold shoulders from their little girls after that first day? (Especially with how smart and _knowing_ the two were).

"'Ko-chan and Hina-chan are heroes!" The girl, Tea, had proclaimed. "They stood up against Sung-Min Kim the bully!"

The two boys had shouted their agreements and babbled on about what they had done and how awesome they were, before the hospital staff had made them quiet down.

"I told you so," Yakumo had said, when they were sitting in the hospital's cafeteria that evening, trying to eat. "They are going to rule the world with their friends one day. Just you watch!"

Yume hadn't been all that amused at the joke, but she had appreciated the effort.

Solomon had made no attempt to hide his amusement however, and had laughed boisterously at his son's joke. "Either that, or they'll become magical guardians of some big secret that saves the world from great evil."

That had gotten a snort out of Yume. "Don't be silly, magic doesn't exist," she'd said weakly, but still managing a little smile. "It doesn't really matter what they become… though it would be funny to see them as magical girls, all dressed up in those frilly dresses".

Osamu was the one who had snorted at that. "Yeah. Right. Hinata and Youko? In frilly stuff? They would rather be trapped in some weird object with no memories than be caught dead in frilly dresses. Like an old oil lamp or something, like genies".

Solomon had gone oddly quiet at that, but Yume had paid it no mind.

Marie tutted at them, shaking her head. "How can you joke about this? Our daughters are fighting for their lives," she'd said, though her voice was a little lighter, a little happier, as well. Then she'd sighed and mumbled: "Although it'd be so romantic if some foreign diplomat or a prince or something of the sort suddenly swept Hinata off her feet one day".

Yume had smiled softly, a dreamy look appearing on her face. "Imagine… our little girls, dressed up all pretty, in a ballroom somewhere, with their princes… oh, what and I doing, making up fairy tales".

Fairy tales she'd been unsure her little girl would ever live to experience.

But Youko lives. She's going to get better. Both her and Hinata are going to get better.

* * *

Being in the hospital, to put it plainly, _sucks_.

She thought the fan fics she had read were all exaggerating whenever the characters ended up in the hospital. Guess they weren't.

They smell funny, you never get any true peace, they're loud - especially if you don't have a private room - and, most importantly, it means something is wrong with you.

And knowing something is wrong with you is never comforting. It's terrifying.

Not to mention the lack of control - that makes it even worse. She doesn't have that much control of her life in the first place, given that she's a little kid still, but this is even worse. A nurse or one of her parents has to escort her to the bathroom, because she's hooked up to an IV and she's not allowed to leave her bed except for those moments. The food is bland (her appetite may be low, but she'd still like something that tastes good) and doctors and nurses regularly visit her to poke at her and take her temperature.

She feels like an experiment.

It's also so very _boring_ in the hospital. The only saving grace is having Youko with her. Not that she's wants her best friend to be sick with her but she's glad for the company.

It had been horrible to learn when she woke up that not only was Youko in the hospital as well, she was even worse off than Hinata herself. Barely even reacting to anything at all.

So she is so incredibly relieved Mrs. Mutou arrives to tell them that Youko's fever had broken and the doctors were predicting a full recovery. Even if she takes another half day to wake up completely, Hinata is happier simply by knowing her friend was safe and awake elsewhere in the hospital.

So as soon as Youko is fully awake and better, Hinata makes a bit of a fuss, demanding to be brought to her best friend.

While there had been some apprehension from the nurses at first, the doctors had accepted the request after a quick examination of both of them, and they were joined in a two-person room.

Youko looks terrible.

She's pale, paler than normal. Her hair is limp and damp. Her normally raspy voice is even more hoarse and rough. Her eyes are glassy, and she keeps squinting. Like she's got trouble focusing.

"Wai', Hina…? What're you doin' here?" She's slurring her words, unable to speak clearly. It breaks her heart to see her best friend like that.

"Hina-chan got sick as well," Yume explains quietly. "Remember how we talked about this earlier? How Hina-chan asked if you could share a room?"

"Jus' thought… switchin' rooms," Youko mumbles back, smiling weakly. "'M happy Hina here. Not because you're sick, but'... it's lonely. Boring".

" _So_ boring. I'm glad you're here too 'Ko-chan." Hinata tells her friend.

It's still boring, even after they've been united. They're both achy and sleepy most of the time - Youko even more than her. But when they're both awake and aware, it's fun to just talk. Their mothers are there most of the time, along with Grandpa.

The best time is at night though when they're alone. They can talk more freely and be more open, when they can stay awake that is. It's done in whispers, so the night nurses don't realizes they're awake (somehow they just _know_ their schedules, know what to listen and look for).

It's like a long sleepover.

A sleepover in a half-cold, chemical-smelling place, granted, but still a sleepover.

They also have control of the TV so when they can, they watch some old cartoons. Well, old from her first childhood anyways. They're brand new here. She can't believe the graphics were once considered the best of the best, but she can admit that it's impressive for an age where computers are still big, but steadily getting smaller and more advanced.

God does she miss smart phones and all of the modern technology. She can't _wait_ for it all to come back. It'll probably be sooner than what it was in her first life, she's noticed some discrepancies and changes compared to her first life.

On their sixth day of being in hospital, they are judged to be well enough to walk around the children's ward on their own, provided an adult is with them. They're rather quickly directed towards the little play-area. It takes a lot of energy to stagger there but they manage it. They're winded and exhausted but happy to be out of the beds and stuffy room.

" _Mental stimulation,"_ Hinata thinks happily. " _Sweet relief"_.

They can't handle much, and there really isn't much to do. They join forces around a picture book, too exhausted for their usual tricks. (Not to mention that it feels _wrong_ to prank kids in a hospital. They're good-natured trolls, not bullies). After thirty minutes or so they've gained enough energy to get back to their room again.

Their seventh day brings visitors.

Tea, Tristan and Joey - equipped with little surgical masks so they don't breathe in any germs - enter their room bearing flowers and plushies.

"We decided to get you get-well presents!" Tea says. "Mama says flowers are normal, but we thought you'd might like new friends, too".

It's a sunny-yellow tiger for Youko and a dark-blue bunny for herself. It's soft and just the right mixture of firm and squishy. She can imagine resting her chin on this ridiculous thing.

As a joke, she names it "Akefia", because why not? Youko isn't the only little troll around. Not that anyone else will get the joke really. (She vaguely remembers an old fanfic that she read of Yami Bakura from Yugioh being a bunny. It stuck since and she associates him with snakes and bunnies now.)

Youko looks troubled, though. She's not sure if it's because of what she's named the rabbit or something else though. "Help me," she says, holding up the tiger. "Is he Tigger or Hobbes?"

Hinata blinks slowly, heart stuttering before beating fast. She shakes her head, and dislodges any thoughts before they form. "Ugh. That's a hard one! He looks perfect for both!"

Eventually the group as a whole decides that he's a Hobbes and that they'll get him a "Tigger" friend in the future so he's not lonely.

Later in the night, when Youko is asleep, Hinata lays awake, confused beyond reasoning. They've watched the Japanese dubs of Winnie the Pooh, of course. But Tigger has a different name. And Hobbes… is that a reference to Calvin and Hobbes? But they've never even been _near_ anything related to Calvin and Hobbes, let alone anything to do with philosophy. Aside from the fact that it's an _American_ comic series.

" _Where does she know that name from?"_ Hinata thinks, glancing at her best friend. Could she be…?

But no. It's not possible. The chances of even _one_ person being reborn, memories intact, is astronomically small. So there being _two_? Impossible.

It has to be

* * *

Little does Hinata know that Youko is having a similar reaction to Akefia the Bunny.

Akefia. Only fans of Yugioh would know that name. Hardcore ones at that. It's not even canon. It was a big controversy over the name. Most leave it be, if someone liked it and used or not is up to the fan. (Or, Youko wonders, would it be more appropriate to say whether not they would like it? Does Yugioh even exist in this place?)

 _Still_ ….

It's just a coincidence right? With Osamu being an archeologist, surely Hinata simply heard of the name from another culture. Heavens know that Youko has heard her fair share of stories, and names, and tales from Grandpa.

Surely she couldn't… there was no chance.

But what if there was?

* * *

"How dare you be sick," Amane tells her baby sister, when Mommy finally lets her go to the hospital with her to visit Hina-chan and Youko-chan. "That's forbidden! Bad baby sister!"

She wants to poke Hina-chan's head, but Mommy's told her not to be too rough or too touchy-touchy with her, because she's sick and already in pain and if Amane touches her too much, she might get sick too, and that's the last thing her Mommy wants to happen.

Her Mommy has been acting funny lately. Even more when Hina-chan and Ko-chan got sick. It makes Amane sad and scared to see her Mommy like that. She tries to be good and helpful so her Mommy doesn't have to worry too much, but it doesn't seem to work too much.

"Sorry, Ama-nee," Hina-chan says sheepishly, her voice all rough and weak. "But… not my fault".

Amane is tempted to declare her baby sister a liar. She thinks Hina-chan and Ko-chan would get sick on purpose, just to annoy Mommy and Daddy. Then again, they wouldn't get this sick on purpose. They like to tease and pull pranks on other people, Amane has been the unfortunate victim of a lot of them, but she knows they're never cruel.

And she loves her sister and cousin too much to think so bad about them.

"Fine. But you need to hurry up and get better! It's so _boring_ without you guys!." She whines. It's also strange being with Mommy she thinks. Maybe Mommy is sick too? She has been very silly and tired a lot. Maybe she can ask Daddy or a doctor even if they know what's wrong with Mommy.

Mrs. Mutou enters the room and smiles at them. "Amane-chan, visiting hours are over. We have to go home".

Amane does _not_ want to leave. The hospital is big and scary and she can't believe her sister and cousin/sister-by-choice has to stay there any longer than they already have.

"Why can't they come home with us Auntie? Aren't they better now?" She asks curiously. They are always fine at home when they get colds, so why is it different now?

Mrs. Mutou shakes her head. "It's going to take a little longer this time, I'm afraid. Youko-chan and Hinata-chan are _really_ sick right now. And it's not something we can fix at home, unfortunately." She raises her head and looks at the two in the beds, frowning, though it quickly disappears and turns into another small smile. "But you can help out at home, so it'll be ready for them when the doctors decide they're well again, okay?"

Amane still doesn't understand. Not quite. A lot of what's been said to her today has been grown-up-speech and she's mostly just smiled and nodded in order to look like she understands.

But she knows that she wants to help them get better. In any way she can. And so she swears to do everything Mommy and Daddy ask her to do at home. She'll even clean her room!

Anything that will help them come home sooner.

* * *

Their stay at the hospital was eleven days. _Long_ days. It's been a total of eighteen now, the last week spent being at home, recovering and taking it easy.

Yakumo is seated, as usual when his daughter has a playdate involving Hinata Bakura, at the kitchen window, glancing out at them every so often.

If he is just a little more cautious, a little more hawk-like in watching her, nobody comments on it.

Certainly not the parents of the three other children currently running around, lifting the usual amount of three to six.

It's a relief, to him and the others, to know that their girls made friends and were socializing instead of being withdrawn.

And what a strange, but lively, little bunch they make.

They're all pleasant children. Good manners, strong personalities, a good understanding of morals for their age, and very loyal. Apparently taking down a bully together makes for a strong friendship.

Tea Gardner is a kind-hearted girl and just as stubborn as Yakumo's daughter and Hinata combined. From what he understands, she's the most grounded of all of them. The support, something stable for them to lean on when they're all tired from running around and causing trouble. She also _loves_ to dance and manages to get all of the others to dance with her.

Tristan Taylor is a bit similar to Tea. He's got the same air of stability to him, a little hesitant almost, but loyal and kind to a fault. From what he can see, based on their vigorous game of tag, he's careful with the girls and always helps them when they stumble or fall. Even Amane, a girl he has only just met, is treated to the same kindness. He is pleased to see that chivalry isn't dead.

Finally there's little Joey Wheeler. _Poor kid_ , Yakumo thinks. He's a good and sweet little boy. He is, by far, the most loyal of the bunch with a very strong sense of justice, he understands from what Youko and Hinata has reluctantly told them. How their friendship was built on Joey wanting to make sure Youko hadn't done anything to break the rules. He's not the voice of reason… most of the time –that's Tea. But his heart is in the right place and he does his best.

If only he could say the same about his mother...

That was a condition Marie had made, upon their girls demanding that they arrange a playdate with all of their friends as soon as they were considered well enough to do so. That she (she said they, but it was worded in a way that made it clear that it was a demand from her) would have to meet the parents' of their friends as well.

Now, the Gardners and Taylors are all good, decent people in his book. They're doing well for themselves and are as kind and as just as their children. Mrs. Wheeler, however, is an entirely different case.

The woman has been smoking almost non-stop since arriving. She doesn't interact with the others, through no lack of trying on their end, appearing utterly bored and disinterested in everything. She's also young. Perhaps a couple of years younger, and it makes him wonder exactly _when_ she had Joey.

Marie looks like she's about to have an aneurism… he hopes she won't blame the kid for having such a (he doesn't know the woman and doesn't want to label her as rude, but that's what she comes off as) mother.

"So you own a flower shop Mrs. Gardner?" Yume asks, interested.

"Oh, please call me Anzu, Yume-san," the woman says, smiling warmly. "But I do, down on Checker Street. It's a bit far away from home, but it's a nice area and there's good business".

"Oh how lovely! I will have to stop by sometime!" The other woman, Suzuki Taylor, exclaims. "And what do you do Mr. Gardner?"

"I am a lawyer," Adam Gardner says proudly. "I originally came to work for a company, but… then I met Anzu and decided to go independent".

"Good for you Adam-san, it was no easy feat i'm sure." Osamu says, glancing out the window to see Solomon with the children, he seems to be telling them a story.

"You are an archeologist right Osamu-san? Along with Solomon? And Yakumo is a businessman while both of your wives are stay at home mothers?" Adam asks in return.

"That's right Adam-san." Yakumo confirms. "And you Mr. and Mrs. Taylor? What do you both do?"

"We also have our own little businesses," Suzuki says. "I've set up a little music school on the bottom floor of our house, and Todd is a psychologist affiliated with Domino City Hospital".

"That's amazing, good for you both," Marie says with a strained smile.

"Don't let the girls know." Yume adds with a grin. "They'll be begging you for lessons before you can blink."

They descend into pleasant conversation, then. They learn that Todd has an interest in archaeology on a hobby-level and has read several articles by both Solomon and Osamu, and they descend into a discussion on the current finds and what they might mean.

It's all very nice, and Yakumo sees possible friendships with these people.

Marie is even relaxing and enjoying herself (which is big) so it looks like this could really work out.

So of course, just like their luck usually is, something goes wrong.

Mrs. Wheeler snorts, suddenly. Condescendingly. Yakumo narrows his eyes as she says, "So what I understand is that all of you, all of _us_ , are independent people… and then there are Mrs. Mutou and Bakura over here, unemployed and catering to out-dated gender norms?"

Everything goes quiet around the table. Yume gasps, shocked, and Marie stiffens in her seat.

Osamu sighs in defeat and puts his face in his hands. " _Why?"_ He thinks despairingly.

Yakumo isn't sure if he should respond or let one of the woman answer.

"Now, now, Mrs. Wheeler - no need for such hostility. It's their choice whether or not they want to stay home and take care of their children," says Suzuki calmly, trying to help. "And don't you help out with the game shop, Yume-san?"

Yume nods, looking relieved. "I do! Solomon can't do everything on his own, after all, and I am more than happy to help".

Mrs. Wheeler (Yamuko believes her name is Sally, based on her mumbled greeting) raises an eyebrow at them. "So that is explained. Somewhat. But what about Mrs. Bakura here? You have no excuse to stay at home all the time - why even put your child in daycare if you're just going to stay here all the time?"

The silence is deafening. It's like a thin layer of ice has covered everything, and Yakumo knows their pleasant chat is over. If there is one thing you do not do, it is insult Marie Bakura in her own home.

And then... it get's worse.

"Also, what is up with your daughter? Hinata, was it?" She asks, her voice light and airy, like it's just an afterthought. Like she is completely oblivious to the damage she has just caused. To what is going to be unleashed very soon. "She's so distant from you, isn't she? I'll admit that I don't have the best relationship with Joey, but she doesn't even call you "Mommy" or something. She's so formal, it's weird. I mean no offense, of course, Mrs. Bakura, but… one does wonder".

You could hear a pin drop in the silence. The second Marie starts moving, Osamu is right behind her, his hands hovering behind her cautiously, as if debating whether or not he should hold her back. Yakumo is reminded of Yuki-Onna herself, ready to freeze Mrs. Wheeler to death.

"I do not know where you've gotten your head that you have a right to attacking me like this in my own home," Marie says, her voice biting and harsh like the winter winds. "But if you think I am going to tolerate it, young lady, you have another thing coming".

Sally looks at her, incredulously. "Listen. I'm sorry if what I'm saying offends you, Mrs. Bakura, but do you not think your daughter is weird? Joey tells me both she and Youko are quite smart, but really, don't you think it's a little odd? Even Youko is more normal than this".

" _Aaaaand we're doomed. God save her,"_ Yakumo thinks as Yume stills beside him, her hands clenching and unclenching in her lap. Calmly he reaches out and takes her hand in his, letting her squeeze the life out of it.

Marie stands up straight, her eyes harsh and cold. "I do not believe that you have any right to judge what is and isn't normal. I could say a lot about your smoking and _normal_ and _health around children_ , Mrs. Wheeler, but you haven't heard me saying anything about it out of politeness. But there is one thing I will tell you now," she raises her hand and points to the door. "Get out. Leave my house. _Now_ ".

Sally Wheeler takes a harsh breath through gritted teeth, her own eyes narrowing. "Fine," she growls. "Be blind to the traps or patriarchy and ignorant to your daughter's behavior. But don't come crying and telling me I was right when you realize your daughter doesn't love you and you're alone with no way of supporting yourself!"

Before anyone can react she's picked up her purse and jacket and is storming out of the house. They follow her as she storms down the garden path towards her car… leaving Joey behind.

"She… did she just leave her child behind?" Mrs. Gardner says, horrified. "No… no, that isn't right. Oh no, oh no".

All the adults are jerked from their staring when they hear Joey yell for his mom. And it's sad to watch. He doesn't cry or freak out, he simply shrugs his shoulders as if it's normal, and turns back to the others.

They are all frozen for a moment as they process what happened. The next second, Hinata and Youko have tackled Joey in a hug while screaming "SLEEPOVER!" This causes Tea and Tristan to cheer happily and join the group hug pile.

Solomon is heard chuckling at their antics and pulling out a camera (where on earth did he get it even?) and taking a picture.

Yakumo can tell Marie is torn. Same with Yume. He knows they are not happy with the idea or what's happened, but they all know their daughters will win any argument they give.

"That boy needs help," Mr. Taylor says. "Acting so calmly to something that should be traumatizing at that age… this has happened before," he frowns, while Mr. Gardner nods in agreement.

"She could get in serious legal trouble for this as well. Abandoning your child like this… I know we leave our children in daycare most days of the week, but they are trained and educated people. He could have medical needs none of us know about and are untrained to deal with, for all we know," he says, his example reminding Yakumo of the weeks his daughter just spent ill, making a shiver go down his spine.

"Right, we need a plan for this," Yakumo says.

"At the moment, I don't care what we do," Marie finally says, looking out of the door. "But know this: I do not want that woman anywhere near my house again".

* * *

Solomon is in love. Grandfatherly love, specifically. He has not felt happier as he does, when he is around Youko and all of her friends, in ages. They are all sweet, well-behaved children with hearts of gold and he could not be more proud of what they've accomplished so far.

The fact that they all call him "grandpa" without any prompting warms his heart.

Thus it hurts him to see Sally Wheeler storm out, leaving behind her child, though it is nothing compared to the agony of the boy shrugging and telling them that it's happened before. A lot, apparently.

When that had happened, he had had to keep down the urge to embrace the boy, unsure if it would be appreciated. Fortunately all of his lovely grandchildren (bless Youko's heart, she is so smart and compassionate) beat him to it and all he had had to worry about was taking the perfect picture.

Happy memories to ease the sadness.

The rest of the day passes pleasantly, even with the overhanging melancholy and unease.

The children spend the time playing games, listening to his stories, telling their own, and watching cartoons. Mr. and Mrs. Taylor are kind and bring Joey some of Tristan's to borrow. When it's time for them to sleep, they have a pillow fight instead. Their laughter and joy is wonderful, none of the parents, even Marie, have the heart to stop their antics. So they let them fall asleep at their own time.

Solomon is pleased with how it ends, and for all of the wonderful pictures he got to take. There is also the relief that Amane got along with them all and fit in nicely.

The next day, when Solomon brings the five children to daycare, he gets Joey's address and phone number from the staff. Just in case. When he returns to pick up Youko and Hinata he encounters Mrs. Wheeler, who is looking at the ground resolutely. He just greets her calmly and mentions that the Taylors are probably going to want the clothing back by the end of the week. She just mumbles a "thank you" and takes Joey with her.

For a few weeks, almost a month, things are back to normal.

And then… then Youko and Hinata get sick again.

It's almost as bad as the first time. They're hospitalized again but only for 3 days this time. Then they're home and being watched like hawks by both Yume and Marie.

A week later they're well enough to go back to daycare, only…...there's a problem now.

Marie refuses to let her daughter go back.

"It is nothing but a building of death that harms my baby girl".

"Marie, please. All children get sick while in daycare. It's an effective way to make them immune to a lot of things, aside from vaccines".

Solomon is witness to this discussion, if only in the background. Osamu is there with him, not even trying to stand up to his wife. Yume and Yakumo are also there, having had a similar discussion just the day before, but they are torn.

Hinata and Youko are….. _were_ on the couch, they're now standing in the doorway watching the argument progress.

"If Grandpa can watch us and you can get Tea, Joey, and Tristan to come, we'll gladly stay away from that disease ridden hell." Hinata finally says a few moments later.

"Yeah!" Youko agrees. "It's boring, anyway, and noisy and the adults barely give any kid any attention, other than the troublemakers".

Solomon can see Marie go to protest before she stops and appears to really think it over for a moment.

Surprisingly….

She agrees to the girl's suggestion (demand really but….), on a few conditions.

They are to behave for Solomon and whichever mom is around at the moment (either herself, Yume or Suzuki, if she is available), they will do more than play games inside all day, and Mr. and Mrs. Wheeler are not going to be allowed access to her home. Ever. (She does seem a little hesitant whenever the "Wheeler-problem", as she so tactlessly calls it, is brought up, but Solomon knows that she knows that their girls would rather stay in the daycare than leave Joey behind).

And so the Kame Private Daycare is set up. Primary caretakers are at least one mother and a kind grandpa.

The kids are thrilled. They think it's the most amazing thing ever. Not just being together all the time, just them, but also learning. Yume teaches them how to cook little snacks (Hinata takes to baking immediately), Suzuki introduces them to music (one of Youko's favorites) and Marie makes it her mission to teach them letters and numbers with a few of Amane's old school books.

Even Anzu and Adam get involved, taking days off now and then. Anzu teaches them basic business things and about flowers and their meanings. Adam teaches them basic law and political things (which Joey seems to pick up and enjoy quickly). The children absorb it all like a bunch of sponges. They're all smart and love what the parents teach them. (Amane is jealous of what she's missing out on while at school. The children come up with the idea to save very fun things to do for when she's home and can participate.)

Their absolute favorite lessons though, are with Osamu (the rare times he stops by) and Grandpa. They love the history and stories that they share. And even, after many days of begging, the children convinced grandpa to start teaching them to read hieroglyphs and Egyptian.

Solomon can't help but feel smugly proud about it. He had been so disappointed when Yakumo hadn't shown any interest in archaeology, but now the new generation is smitten with it.

It's about three months after they made the daycare, (and four more times that the girls have gotten sick, luckily only minor sickness) and Solomon decides they deserve a treat. It's been raining all day and while they'd normally go stir-crazy, there hasn't been so much as a peep from them. They're just gathered around the kotatsu, colouring and chatting and generally being quiet and calm. Youko and Hinata are bundled up, recovering from their latest sickness, but they are determined to not let it stop them.

So Solomon sneaks into the shop, to a corner in the backroom nobody but himself usually goes to, and climbs the step-ladder to get to the golden box sat on the top of a shelf.

It's not quite time, Solomon knows. He is certain that he will know when to pass on this legacy, but for now… he thinks the kids are allowed this one experience. And so he returns to the living room and disturbs their calm afternoon.

"Come here, children. I've got something to show you".

* * *

 **A/N:**

Surprise duckies! Welcome to the next chapter of CitG!

Nordic luckily has a few day break in between her big finals projects. So we took advantage of that and wrote another chapter! Woo!

So this chapter we have a lot going on and some more time passing. I say maybe 3 months or so. The girls are getting closer to 3! Which, wow, it's sometimes easy to forget their actual ages I guess.

We have the girls being sick. References to their first life and things from it. And references to other things too (like the many AU ideas we've come up with) ;) we have the families learning about the girls having friends and some drama and angst in there too.

Parents are met and new friendships are born. ;) we decided since we were sticking with the American version of some things that we would incorporate some of the original Japanese aspects into this. Hence why Tea's moms name is Anzu (for those of you who don't know, Anzu is Tea's Japanese name)

Nordic and I love to troll, reference, and foreshadow a lot. So be sure to keep an eye out for things. Almost everything we do is for a reason. Little hints or suggestions at things that will come. So don't take anything at face value or to be nothing, most likely it has to do with something.

There were definitely some challenging pieces to write (and read) but we deemed them necessary. Life isn't easy or perfect, there are moments that make you feel like that. We want this to be realistic in many ways, so that's why there are moments like that.

Another happy note is that the adorable Nordic has celebrated her birthday! (Im happy that my present was well loved) so be sure to wish her a belated one. ;D

A shoutout to all of the views we've had and all of our current followers and faves and our new followers and favorites (Harry Abbot,Integral16,Kashlazy, Lightsbane1905, SashaPayne56, The Ninja Camel, Toaneo07 Ver2.0, Crystal Blue Butterfly, and Tsume Yuki).

Please leave comments and reviews! We love them!

Thanks again to the amazingly talented and lovely Moirei for Beta-ing for us, as always :)

Well that's it for this time, so thanks again for reading my duckies and we'll see you all next time on Caught in the Game!

-Counting Sinful Stars

 _A/N: What's up guys, Nordic Twin and Counting Sinful Stars are back again!_

 _I have finally had a break from finals (I had three in a row - two of them essays that took days to write), and what a better way to spend it than writing the next chapter! (And turn 22. It was my birthday back on May 30, yay!)_

 _So quite a lot going on. Like Stars has already said, we're referencing quite a lot of things (which may or may not have to do with future side-AUs) and hinting at future conflicts._

 _Something I would like to clarify specifically is Sally Wheeler's age. While there's no set age for her, she got pregnant young - around 18 years old. She married Jared Wheeler out of convenience, and as you can probably tell, it is NOT a happy marriage. It was a heartbreaking part to write - Sally just leaving Joey behind and his calm reaction. Actually, the entire confrontation between Marie, Yume and Sally was horrible to write, but it is a very important part to have as well. Because life is harsh. You just have to make the best of it._

 _Another thing I'd like to point out: with this set-up we have three mixed-race children, one "full blooded" American and one "full blooded" Japanese. Hence the western names and such. (Yes, the joke on Suzuki's name is intentional, because the Japanese family-name is Honda, and they're both car-brands). We see Domino City as being an international suburb to Tokyo (I don't remember if we've said this before), so it made sense to us for them to have western names instead of Japanese._

 _So! The mini-gang is established and the parents are introduced. Youko and Hinata's health is proven to be absolutely terrible and uncomfortable truths are brought to the table, quite literally, and "enemies" are made amongst the parents. Next time we'll take a look at what could be inside Grandpa's little box (gee, I wonder) amongst other things. Surprises await!_

 _Thank you so much for all of the follows, comments and kudos! We appreciate them, and it honestly gives us a boost of motivation whenever we see them!_

Also a huge, HUGE thank you to Tsume Yuki who wrote a little cross-over on Tumblr with CitG and her One Piece fanfiction "Tell it to the Marines" for my birthday (in return for me writing an AU short for it). If you're not familiar with her writing already, go seek her out and read everything, because it's awesome.

 _See you guys next time!_

 _-Nordic Twin_

 **Edited/Beta by Moirei**

 **Finished & Published June 8th, 2017**


	7. That Oh Shit Feeling

**Chapter 6 - That "oh shit" feeling**

Youko looks up from her cosy blanket burrito at the sound of her grandpa's voice, her curiosity piqued. It's been a quiet day, a calm day, and she's desperate for a little excitement, feeling her body itch at the lack of action being sick forces you to bow to.

Sure, it's nice to take it easy now and then, but… she wants _more_. Mentally mature or not, she's still a 3 year old kid. She's got a world to explore and the energy to do it.

"What is it, Grandpa?" Tristan asks, as the first of them, looking up from where he'd been trying to fold an origami crane.

"Is it a book?" Hinata guesses, trying to look around him to get a peek at what he's hiding behind his back.

"Is it a new game!?" Joeys questions excitedly, bouncing up and down in his seat.

"Close, my boy, very close," her grandpa chuckles, before he joins them, sitting calmly by their heated table. "But still, not quite. You see, what I've brought you is my greatest treasure".

And just like that, he sets a golden box in front of them.

A box that, to Youko, is _very_ familiar. But not because it is anything she has seen in this life. Oh no. It's from _before_ that these memories come, only then it had been a lot more… 2D.

Letters on a page, yellowed with age, but much loved. The words on that first page of the first book bearing dark marks of a thumb stained with ink.

" _In ancient times … the future of men and kings… magic ceremonies where destinies … SHADOW GAMES…"_

A tiny, harmless-looking box made of gold, sitting on a table in a classroom. Black on white, then gold.

" _...I think of this puzzle as a memento of my Grandpa!"_

Games. So many games, so many adventures, so many problems… all tied to this box.

" _I believe in the Heart of the Cards!"_

A story of friendship and overcoming challenges with it. A story of trust. A story of power and teamwork. A story of _danger and lunatics and EVIL._

" _You have to trust me on this one 'casue I know I can save him. Since the day I solved the Millennium Puzzle, you've given hope, courage, and confidence. You even helped me to make new friends. But I can't go through my life depending on you. I need to know that even without the Millennium Puzzle I can still be on my own if I have to. I guess what I'm trying to say is that I can be like you without you"._

Ancient spirits and dark magic. A choice to make, something to prove. Something to show the gods...

" _So I'm done?"_

" _No. But you are close. With the help of your friends, you'll nearly fulfilled your destiny. You have but one more task to complete before your spirit can return to its resting place"_.

Youko barely registers her grandfather talking and explaining about the puzzle box. She hardly notices her friend's excitement and all the questions they ask.

All she can hear is wind rushing through her head, her mind swirling, her breath becoming shallow.

All she can do is stare wide-eyed at the _mother-fucking Millennium Puzzle Box_ that's sitting innocently in front of her. Not a replica - oh no, it can't be. The way the metal almost _pulsates_ with power and shines on its own is too real to be a mere copy of plastic or some other type of metal.

And she remembers the city she's in. She remembers the names, the people around her. Most importantly, she remembers what the gods said. And it all clicks. What her mission is, why she was pulled from one life and sent into another.

And then Youko feels sick all over again.

 _Oh fuck._

* * *

Hinata has decided she doesn't want much in this life. Even if she's on some big, godly quest to save this world from who-knows-what, she'll be content with a few things.

A nice home with a good kitchen, plenty of comfy spaces and a little garden. Maybe a couple of pets.

A few children and a nice, loving husband is also on her list.

A decent health would certainly also be nice, but she's kind of given up on that by this point.

Most importantly, she wants her friends and family to be safe. Both her biological one and the one she's chosen for herself. She might not get along that well with her mother and father, but she doesn't wish them any ill will.

So when Grandpa Solomon sets that small, harmless-looking box (well, harmless-looking to anybody who doesn't remember it from a previous life), she knows that last wish won't be granted.

Fuck.

 _Shit_.

Hell. _Fucking_. No.

" _I'm in goddamn Yu-Gi-Oh,"_ she thinks with growing horror.

Scenes flash before her eyes in rapid succession.

 _A ring of gold with spikes digging into skin._ Ryou Bakura's _skin. As punishment for doing something the Spirit inside it didn't like._

 _Death T and the holograms so life-like that they gave an old man - the same old man sitting in front of her - a heart attack._

 _Duelist Kingdom and Maximillion Pegasus on the brink of insanity with grief, his deranged "tournament" all a ploy to get the Millennium Puzzle from Yugi._

 _The fuck up that was Battle City and Marik._

She feels faint, wants to scream and cry and run away. This cannot be happening, this is not real. It has to be a bad dream. It has to. But it isn't. These past 3 years have been too real to be anything but just that. Very real and suddenly very, VERY terrifying.

Then she remembers that _she_ is a Bakura and feels another shiver go down her spine.

 _Ryou Bakura - living on his own for years. Mother and sister dead in an accident, father always gone._

 _Violent possessions, that dark Spirit always there, a constant threat._

 _A frightened boy just wanting to make friends, but the Spirit sends them into comas. Dark games with high stakes and little margin for failure._

Ryou Bakura. She'd always kind of liked the kid. How he was always kind, even in such terrible situation.

Wait… she's a Bakura.

She is the younger sister of Amane Bakura. And she is the same age as the people she now recognises as part of the main gang in Yu-Gi-Oh.

Is… is she…

" _You have got to be kidding me! Did the gods really turn me into a female version of Ryou Bakura?!"_ She screams internally, trying very hard to be interested in Grandpa Solomon's lesson on the box, but hearing nothing. " _Wait… my mom's going to die! And Ama-nee! And my dad will leave, fuck! What the hell!?"_

She needs to calm down. Fast. Be the aloof Hinata they know, not someone who is 5 seconds from screaming bloody murder.

She wants to think that things could be worse, at least she's not the host of the Pharaoh, but she could still have a possessed psychotic maniac that she has to host….oh god…... _the Pharaoh's host._

 _Youko_.

Something's not adding up.

She glances across the table at her best friend. A girl. Same age as herself, same age as their friends. (Who's looking _very_ pale and sick again and staring at the puzzle in….horror?)

Youko Mutou is a _girl_. Yugi Mutou is very much a _boy_.

There are other things that she'd rejected. Other subtleties, indicators and clues she hadn't wanted to believe were true. Hobbes the Tiger being just one of them.

She hadn't wanted to believe it to be true. Hadn't wanted to think the gods would take two lives to suit their purposes. (Hadn't wanted to _hope_ that she wasn't alone.)

But what if it was? What if they _had_?

They took one life, her life, _already_. Why wouldn't they take another? Who would stop them? Certainly not the morals of mere mortals.

Could she possibly have had an ally, someone to speak to about this mess, all this time?

Could her best friend be like her? Wouldn't it be worth the risk? To have a friend and ally? Someone who knows her pain and fears? To have someone know all of her?

 _Yes. Yes it would be worth it._

Besides, worst case scenario, if Youko wasn't really another reincarnation and just a really bright child, who would even believe her? Youko might as well just think it is a story, a silly make-believe story, and any adult wouldn't believe it either. Just kids being kids, inventing fairy tales.

If Youko is like her, then they can plan. Be prepared. Hopefully change the bad things to not be so awful. She's unsure if they can do something about Seto and Mokuba - they're just kids, and who knows when they ended up in the orphanage? As it is, Mokuba isn't even born yet. Marik is a lost cause as well, but who knows… they might be able to do some sort of therapy-magic and diminish his rampage and insanity.

Who knows… they might even be able to save her mother and Ama-nee. Though she's beginning to think there's more to their death than just an accident with how Marie acts.

If Youko isn't like her, well… she's going to plan anyways. She decides that right then and there. She'll be prepared for what's to come. Now that her purpose has been made at least a little clear, she can start working.

Unlike the characters in the manga that had become her life (a headache is creeping on her with this realization), she refuses to be caught off guard.

Besides, if she doesn't have a plan for what's to come later, Hinata knows they're going to be…..

* * *

…...Screwed. She is so, _so_ screwed.

She's the only child born to the Mutou family. Her best friends are who used to be Yugi's friends.

At the moment, as ludicrous as it sounds, there's a good chance that she was reborn as a female version of Yugi Mutou.

And so she's absolutely doomed.

How the _fuck_ is she going to _survive_ ANY of what's to come?

 _Oh god._

She's possibly the _Pharaoh's host._ His Hikari.

 _Oh god._

The crazy maniacs from the show are going to be coming after her, and her family.

That….she can't let that happen. She _won't_ let that happen.

Hell. _Fucking_. No.

Over her _dead, soulless body._

She swears in that moment that she won't let anyone harm her friends. Tea, Joey, Tristan, Hina...ta…

 _Oh….._

There had been no Hinata Bakura in the manga, nor the anime. Not even the games. No mention, no sketches… it was only ever Amane and Ryou.

So what does it mean to the world she's in? Who the hell is her best friend supposed to be? A genderbent Ryou?

It doesn't really matter. Hinata is her best friend. That's all she cares about.

Still… something's wrong.

And one of the biggest clues is Akefia the Bunny. (There were other clues of course, but Bunny Akefia -she snorts internally- is the biggest for sure)

Hinata is as big of a troll as she is. But the level of trolling and even the comments that Hinata has made…..surely, she's just not reaching (hoping) for something because she doesn't want to be alone.

She doesn't want to believe the gods would take two people. Hasn't wanted to believe them that cruel, but… there had been that one light in the darkness that was different. Smaller, dimmer, flickering ever so slightly.

Youko doesn't want to be alone. She wants someone to open up fully to. Have an ally and confident. To have someone empathize with her and know her pain…...she knows very well that her want and desire could be making her wish and see things that aren't really there.

But she has to try.

Because not trying just isn't acceptable. Not now. Not anymore. Not when she knows that the stakes are so high now.

She needs to plan. To prepare.

Because there's no way in heaven or hell, no way that she's letting anyone harm her precious people.

She won't let anything happen to them.

And nothing will stop her.

.

.

.

Not even the _Gods_.

* * *

Sometimes, though he hates to admit it, Solomon doesn't understand Youko. He loves her, of course - with all of his heart and soul, but his only biological grandchild is… odd.

If she's going to be tangled up in whatever great battle of destiny lies ahead, that might either be her saving grace or a hindrance. (He's hoping, _praying_ , that it's the former, because she'll need all the help she can get).

But not just her - there's something odd about Hinata-chan as well. At first he thought it was just because of their advanced intelligence, but ever since showing them the Millennium Puzzle Box… he's beginning to suspect that there's something _more_ to these two girls.

He wonders how much they actually _know_. Whether or not they are more _aware_ than they should be.

Not that he'll ever tell them of his suspicions. He is certain that when the time is right, they will come to him. Or maybe they never will. It is, ultimately, their choice, and he is determined to accept it.

That doesn't stop him from studying them, though.

They're not necessarily acting any different than normal.

It's what they're _saying_ that he finds odd.

Nothing bad, he knows, but odd. Little things like song lyrics, quotes, and something he heard Youko say was a meme? Whatever that word even means. (He thinks his precious granddaughter made it up just to tease him.)

Also… there was an odd exchange between them one day.

Youko had looked Hinata in the eye and said: "I like your shoelaces".

Hinata had just looked at Youko very seriously and said: "Thanks, I stole them from the president".

Then both had gone incredibly pale and not uttered a word for hours, just sitting silently with books or puzzles, completely engrossed in them. Or trying to look like they were engrossed in them, at least.

The other strange exchange that seemed to be the most important, and a little heartbreaking had happened a few days later.

The girls had been sitting silently next to each other on the couch. Both reading books.

Hinata had set hers down and looking sad started to sing in English.

" _Wish we could turn back time, to the good ol' days~..."_

And Youko had joined her looking startled and sad.

" _When our mama's sang us to sleep but now we're stressed out~"_

He would have thought nothing of it really, except…..they both had started crying and hugged each other.

He would have gone to comfort them, ask what was wrong, but….he had felt like he was intruding and that they needed to be alone.

After that, they seem even closer than before, if that was even possible. They were still the same with the other kids, but it was like an invisible bond had formed between the two of them. A stronger one than the one already established between all the kids. One created out of what he can only guess is a strange version of understanding, almost.

It was odd. It _is_ odd.

They are both so very odd and strange and more intelligent than they should be, and he is sure that they've got years of getting into trouble ahead of them.

He loves them for it. His girls who are wonderfully too-clever for their own good.

Yes. Solomon loves his grandchildren, and he will be there for them for however long they need.

Such is his duty as a grandfather.

* * *

They are alone.

It's been a long time since Youko and Hinata were together - just the two of them. They're always the best of friends, inseparable, but ever since the forming of Grandpa's daycare, Youko has found that alone-time with Hinata is sparse.

They're in her room, curled up together on her bed. They haven't said much of anything yet. Too caught up in just relaxing and basking in the quiet and each other's presences.

Unspoken words hang between them. It's like a string, taut with tension and ready to be cut. Each is waiting for the other to break the ice, but neither of them seems to want to.

Eventually, though, Hinata says something.

"It was dark," she whispers, voice so quiet Youko can barely hear her, even if she's practically whispering directly into her ear. "It was so dark and cold and I was so scared… and I… I couldn't move, I couldn't get away."

Youko swallows thickly, and blinks rapidly, trying to stop the tears that she feels building. She hates thinking of that place. It strikes such terror and rage and sadness through her. It makes her think of her old life and what she was taken from. It makes her think of the dark and how alone she was.

To think that Hinata had been there all along, just as afraid and alone… sweet, fun, devious Hinata, her best friend…

"...then it was bright and loud. And we- _I ,_ had no choice." Youko murmurs, shaking hands reaching out and grasping Hinata's tightly.

Hinata's hands shake, one of them wrestling its way out of Youko's grasp, only to hold on tightly to her shirt.

" _They_ said… chosen, the Child of Mortals had been _chosen_ … that I was suited better elsewhere…" she gasps, shoulders shaking.

" _They stole our lives from us."_

Youko has a difficult time figuring out just who said those words, if it was herself or Hinata or maybe both of them. But it feels nice to hear them said out loud. That this new life wasn't a blessing, it wasn't some great honor.

How could there ever be any honor or glory in something you'd been forced to do?

" _They_ said….we have a job…..we have to help…..He Who Sleeps and He Who Is Cursed…..the Pharaoh and the Thief…?" Youko forces out slowly, saying what she just wants to forget and ignore. "Akefia and Ate-...is it even safe to say their names? Or the Pharaoh's at least?"

Hinata shivers. "I wish I could say I knew that answer… names have power here, much more than they did back ho-... you know…" her voice trails off, weak and broken, mournful of a place that nobody else knows even exists.

It may have been three years since…..but it's _only_ been three years. And the pain and loss will never go away.

"Right." Youko says thickly.

Hinata's arms wrap around Youko's shoulders. "What are we going to do, Ko?" She asks, nails digging into her skin through the fabric of her shirt. "We're just… we can't… how could we ever…"

"I….I don't _know_ Hina." She says in frustrated sadness. Youko hugs Hinata back, clinging to her. "It's so dangerous here. Magic, evil, gods…...none of that…..was real back _there_. We have nothing to help prepare ourselves….I- _I'm scared Hinata."_

"It's okay…" Hinata raps out, holding sobs back. "I'm scared too. It's… it's… no, it's not okay. _It'll never be okay_. I don't… I'm going to be the _Host_ of the _Spirit of the Ring_ , Youko…!"

"I…...I don't know which is worse really….host of the Ring, or host of the Puzzle…..both have bad things really…...oh _god. What are we going to do."_ Youko chokes out.

They're just little kids thrown into a war that they weren't even supposed to know existed. Well, adults in kids' bodies, but still.

They are so far in over their heads it's almost comical.

Then…

"My mother's going to die… Ama-nee, too. If we don't do something".

Yeah, that's definitely an issue, too.

"...Father and uncle Osamu….they weren't really shown or mentioned in the series…..but Mama was a few times. She was a stay at home mom in canon too. So we'll have her and grandpa right?" Youko asks, mind whirling, trying to recall everything about the series. "Does Father die then too? I know unc- _Osamu_ leaves Ryou in canon but….."

There are too many variables. Too many ripples with them being here. They have no idea of anything. So many things can be changed already, already _are_ changed with their presence.

They need help. There is way _no_ way that they can do this on their own.

"We'll get through this," Youko says, trying to sound like she believes it. "I promise, Nata. We're going to get through this. Somehow."

They're going to have to get strong. Much stronger than they've ever been, both in this life and the one before.

Some luck they have, realizing they're going to have to save the world with a card game and they're only three years old.

They're both quiet for a very long time. Just taking everything in, processing all they've just realized.

"Whatever's going to happen…" Hinata says after what feels like an eternity and a half. "I'm glad I'm not going to do this alone. That was almost the worst part… feeling so alone about all of this. I thought the gods wouldn't be so _selfish_ , so _cruel_ , as to take _two_ souls just like that".

Youko nods. It had been the same for her up until just a few minutes before her Grandpa showed them that blasted box.

"So long as we're together, we can do this," she whispers, and it feels a little more believable. Like she might have believed herself, if she didn't know better. She leans her forehead on Hinata's.

"And if I'm going to go through hell to survive, I'm glad it's going to be with you".

* * *

Hinata still feels tired and like she wants to cry. She feels drained. But she also feels energized. She's excited.

She's not _alone._

It's been a few days since their last talk alone. This time instead of letting their emotions out and falling asleep, they plan.

They're in her room this time, because she's got a little easel with a big roll of paper, so she can draw whatever she wants. (She got it after trying to draw on the walls one time. Osamu had _not_ been happy, but it got her point across).

But they're not going to draw. Far from it.

They're going to plan.

"Let's see," Youko says with false chipperness. "My male-version finished the puzzle when he was 16… so we've got 13 years before all hell breaks loose! Great! Just. Great".

Hinata snorts in amusement " _Hopefully_ we have that long. Lord knows what is gonna be different because of us."

They start out by making timelines. One of their lives up until that day and one of the canon show. They use code and vague wording just in case their parents find any of it they won't understand.

Their back-up story is that they're planning a book they'll write when they're grown-ups.

"So I didn't watch that much of the actual anime," Hinata admits. "So depending on what 'verse we're in, that could be a problem".

"Well I watched the whole anime but didn't read much of the manga." Youko says with a hum. "I'm hoping it's more anime verse than the manga, but some aspects of the manga would be better and vice versa."

Hinata nods, making a few markings on the paper. "So between the two of us, we've got a well-rounded fan with decent knowledge. Good to know".

Hinata likes this new humor they've got going. A little fatalistic and based on a healthy dose of self-irony. It somehow makes it easier to cope, easier to handle, if only by a little.

"So we are here…" Youko mumbles, tapping on the timeline mapping their lives. "Which is somewhere over _here_ -" another line is drawn to connect it to the canon timeline "-in pre-canon time. Sometime between _now_ and… whenever things go wrong, the boys who will be known as the Kaiba-brothers are going, to well… Mokuba's going to have to be born first, for starters. And then their mama will die, and their papa soon after. And then there's the ordeal with their relatives and the orphanage and don't _fucking_ get me started on Gozaburo fucking Kaiba".

Youko rubs at her forehead and Hinata sighs.

"Wasn't…..wasn't there a fan theory or something? Like in Egypt, Seth is the Pharaoh's cousin. So would maybe the Kaiba brothers be Yugi- _your_ cousins?" Hinata asks with a sceptical frown.

"Good thinking, Nata!" Youko says. "And now that I think about it… doesn't my mom look a _lot_ like Seto?"

They sit quietly for a few moments. Then Hinata whistles and mumbles: "Daaaamn, girl, you're going to be rich by association".

Youko snorts and giggles, "Yeah. _Right. The_ Kaiba brothers, _my_ cousins?"

More silence. Then Hinata looks at Youko, then at herself, and frowns. "You know… how is that somehow less believable than two 20-something year old girls reincarnated into an anime?"

"...it just seems cliche? I don't know. I guess if I accept everything and think it can happen I'll freak out. I need some stability and rationality in all this I suppose….." Youko mumbles with a frown.

"Stranger things have happened, and we're barely 4," Hinata points out. "But I won't push the theory if it makes you uncomfortable".

Youko sighs "It's…..everything is uncomfortable really. This whole situation…...don't worry about it. I'll get over it. This is life, this our _normal_ now."

Again. Silence. It seems like neither of them really want to admit that their normal is going to get really, _really_ wrong in just a few years.

"We've got a lot to prepare for." Hinata says firmly after some silence. "We need to list what we can do that will help us all in the long run."

It takes them hours. They have to go out and act "normal" now and then, like for lunch and such. Eventually, they decide to look at the short-term things.

"So unless we fix my mother, I'm going to practically be an orphan soon," Hinata says casually. It's easier to admit now that they're planning. _Doing something_. "And I'll lose my sister".

"Yeah… she's probably going to be one of the biggest hurdles during this. Her and Joey's parents, I think," Youko notes, her expression darkening, clearly remembering how Joey's sad excuse of a mother had just left him behind.

A 3 year old child.

Ever since that day, all Wheelers except Joey have been sore topics in both the Mutou and Bakura household. What the parents don't realize is that the youngest children probably hate the woman even more than they do, and for more reasons.

Youko frowns even more and rubs the bridge of her nose. "And then there's Yakumo…...he's never mentioned that I know of. We have no idea what happens to him. I always assumed he'd died, like in most other series so….."

"Your mom's only in the manga like… 2 or 3 times. Maybe only once, even," Hinata adds. "I only remember one instance of seeing her, where boy-you played a memory game with his socks".

Youko lets out a long suffering sigh. "Okay, off topic, but I would like to point out: we have _no_ idea whether or not we are actually Yugi Mutou and Ryou Bakura born as females".

"Right. Either way, it doesn't matter really. We're the only ones right now, and with what the gods told us, it's obvious they intend for us to be the hosts." Hinata adds with a shiver.

"Right. Okay. Focus," Youko mumbles. "Okay. We need knowledge about the past. Ancient Egypt, specifically. Quickly".

Hinata nods and writes it down. "We also should learn the language and make sure the gang does too. They all will already know English luckily through their families."

Youko nods. "Grandpa used to work for the Egyptology department. Maybe he's got old connections".

Hinata isn't offended that Youko doesn't even think of Osamu in their planning, because not only is he going to be useless later on, he's also a specialist in ancient Asian culture, not the Middle East.

"Right. Language, culture. Good basics," Hinata agrees. "Games can also be covered through Grandpa. They won't suspect anything because he's already trying to make us addicted to puzzles".

"Sports. Endurance training. Survival skills. Strategy. Critical thinking. Self defense." Youko lists off and Hinata writes them all down.

"Oh…...magic is real here….." Hinata says breathlessly in realization.

Magic.

 _Magic._

Not the good, glittery kind found in all the stories, either, that makes everything better so long as you have a pure heart and make a wish.

Actual, honest to gods _magic_ that is very powerful and _very_ dangerous.

"...This isn't going to be easy….." Youko groans. "Of course it isn't. But honestly?!" She turns her face towards the ceiling, _glaring_ , and falls to her knees. "You just _had_ to make us have to learn all of this from scratch," she hisses, and Hinata knows _exactly_ who she's talking to. "You could've given us, oh I don't know… a _magical guide or something_? We didn't sign up for this _shit_!"

"This…..this is _unbelievable….._ I… _..GODDAMN GODS!"_ Hinata hisses "We are not your fucking toys!"

" **Girls, are you alright in there?"** A familiar voice sounds from just beyond the door, causing them to jump in startlement. " **What's with all of the noise?"**

Marie. _Fuck_. They'd forgotten to keep it down in their frustrations.

"We're fine mother!" Hinata yells back in false cheer. "Just having fun thinking of stories together!"

" **Alright… if you're sure. Yume is coming soon - we were going to make cookies and might need some help,"** she says. Then there's the sound of footsteps as she leaves them alone again.

"Shit. We need to be careful." Hinata mutters. "magic is real and even useable, there _must_ be a way we can learn it."

Youko hums low in her throat, settling into a pose of deep-thinking. "What if… what about modern witchcraft?" She suddenly says, getting up to start a new "page" on their board. "Crystals and herbs, purification methods… I saw a lot of it online. Maybe there's something we could use there?"

She starts making a list of things they could do. "Learn magic" is at the top of it. "Think about it. It could be a good place to start".

"Surely there are also tomes and ways to find old magic as well. Ways to learn it, the magic from ancient Egypt. It's not the best but it's what will be used and what we will need most likely." Hinata mutters distractedly, trying to think of helpful things.

Youko nods. "I think that's something we're going to have to save for future training and plans. For now, though… maybe Tea's mom can teach us the meanings and uses of various plants?"

"Right." Hinata nods in agreement. "And we can start also with building our endurance and reflexes."

"Gymnastics and dancing, then," Youko agrees. "We should bring Tea and Amane! I know Tristan's dad takes him and Joey to soccer practice, now. We could do the same with the girls".

"Maybe we can get in on some sports too and convince the boys to join us. Everything helps." She adds on.

"If our parents and our health will allow it," Hinata nods. "We're weak as it is, and your mom is… off, no offense. Let's not give them more reason to worry than necessary. Maybe swimming?"

"Sure. Dad's been talking about it being time for us to learn anyways".

And like that… they have a plan. Or at least the beginnings of a plan.

It's not much or amazing. It certainly won't save the world overnight. But it's _something._

They shake hands for good measure, just to make it official. _Partners_.

Yeah. Hinata's really happy she's going to do this with Youko, too. Through hell and back if they have to.

* * *

 **A/N:**

Hello again Duckies! Welcome, welcome to the next chapter do Caught in the Game!

We have a lot happening this chapter in regards to feels.

The girls come to the unpleasant conclusion and realization of exactly _where_ they are and what all that entails.

They also get the relief of knowing they're not alone and have each other through it all. We get to see some of grandpa's thoughts and his feelings about the girls. We see that he loves and cares for his girls which is wonderful. Gotta love grandpa.

Not much else going on aside from the new revelations for the girls and the start of their planning. They have a _lot_ to prepare for.

A shoutout to all of the people who viewed and all of our current followers and faves and our new followers and favorites (rubygees, patamon642, joedkeefe, cherry-888, Uberch01, SilverMuse - MoonDovakiin, Dorisangel, 00ninjastitch00, AAirylis, Lalathefox, Etherious Natsu Dragonil, MidnightStar64, Read3r-San, Knights of time, noxfleurets, and Aliendel.)

We also got the most awesome and lovely and amazing review from Aliendel so thank you for that! Nordic and I freaked when we got it.

Please leave us comments and reviews! We love them so much! They give us motivation and such happiness. :3

Thanks again to the amazingly talented and lovely Moirei for Beta-ing for us, as always :)

Well that's it for this time, so thanks again for reading my duckies and we'll see you all next time on Caught in the Game!

Counting Sinful Stars

 _A/N: Welcome, welcome, welcome - to the 6th chapter of Caught in the Game! It's good to be back again - just a few more days, then I am back for good and ready to write full-time… until July when I go on vacation and such, but there's a long time before that happens!_

 _Finally it has happened. The Reveal ™ . Hope you enjoyed it. Stars and I have been excited to get this one out to you, and now that it has… we're ready to plan for canon to come. It'll still take awhile for us to actually GET to canon, but now the girls can prepare themselves and their friends for the chaos their lives will be._

 _I don't really have much to say about this chapter. The double-reveal has happened, and Solomon suspects something strange about his girls. Whether or not that will have any major importance in the future is for us to know and you guys to find out._

 _Big thanks to all of our new followers and Aliendel for leaving such a lovely review!_

 _Alright, that's all from me this time around :) Next time, in Caught in the Game, the girls will initiate the first steps of their plans to (achieve world-domination) save the world!_

 _See you guys next time!_

 _Nordic Twin_

 **Edited/Beta by Moirei**

 **Finished & Published June 17th, 2017**


	8. A Parent's Insight

**Chapter 7- A Parent's Insight**

If there is one thing Hinata is happy about with being reborn, it's that she's gotten the chance to try out new things. She can rediscover herself while she's still young and absorb information like a sponge, so she can master many new things really quickly.

She has many regrets for things she didn't do or procrastinated on in her first life. So she's taking advantage of this new life and doing what she should have done.

Baking is one of them.

She had liked doing it before, but she never quite had the time or patience to master the craft. Something she is determined to remedy in this one.

She will be the pastry queen!

Even if she can't bake anything more advanced than cookies at the moment, and that's even with help. One day, she will make the most delicious cakes on the planet.

Cookies are fine for now though, especially since she's making them with her mom and big sister. It's been awhile since they've actually done anything together. And with her realization that Mar- Mom and Amane may die if she can't stop it, she's determined to spend as much time with them as possible. She wants them to have good and happy memories with her and for her own selfish reasons.

So she's more than happy to stand next to Amane and Youko, she and Youko on chairs and Amane on a box, helping their moms scoop, stir, roll and cut little shapes out of pale dough.

"So, girls…" Yume says. "We've got something to tell you."

"I knew it. The cookies are a bribe," Youko says cheekily, looking up at her mama.

"What _ever_ are you teaching your impressionable daughters and nieces?" Hinata asks sarcastically with a smile.

Amane snickers. "What is it, mommy? Are you secretly fairy queens in disguise?"

The women both laugh at their daughters' silliness and smile warmly. Even Marie, the nervous-wreck, is happily going along with their antics. They're joyful, _glowing_ even. It's infectious, their happy attitude and smiles.

Something seems familiar. Like Hinata should recognize their joy but she can't place it. They're happy, that's all that matters really.

"Well, we and your fathers have been talking. How would you like to get a few new playmates?" Marie asks cryptically, her eyes twinkling.

Hinata freezes and looks at Youko, who is also frozen from the question. They both recognize what's going on. It's a question always asked before….. _oh_.

"We're getting new friends?" Amane asks excitedly. "Amazing! When will they get here? Are they moving from far away like we did?"

Large, _bright_ smiles cross both Hinata and Youko's faces.

" _You're pregnant!"_ They both exclaim (shriek) together happily.

Yume feigns outrage. "What?! Who told you?!" She laughs, ruffling their hair. "Clever duo, aren't we? Can't ever do anything to surprise the two of you".

Marie joins the laughter. "At least Amane is surprised".

"We're gonna be big sisters!" Youko shouts happily while bouncing up and down in her spot.

"When are you due? What's it's gender? How far along are you both?" Hinata asks them rapidly, just as eager and excited as her best friend.

"Does this mean Hina-chan and I will finally get to share a room? Are we going to move again? What are we gonna name it?!" Amane adds in, joining in their happy dancing.

Marie gives them all cookies from the fresh batch out of the oven and makes them sit down by the table, _slowly_ getting them to calm down before they break anything. Only then do they get their answers.

"Yume is a bit further along than me - she'll give birth sometime in August, hopefully," Maire explains, calmly sipping from a cup of tea. "And if all goes well, the two of you will have a new baby sibling in September."

All three girls cheer loudly and happily.

"I can't wait!" Youko yells, happy tears in her eyes. Hinata can understand why, Youko has told her how she never got to be a big sister last time and that she's always wanted to be. To know that her best friend is getting to be one now makes her so happy.

But it does leave her thinking… if she's (supposedly) Ryou born as a woman… who is this kid going to be? Was Marie maybe pregnant when she and Amane died?

A terrifying thought, but also very plausible.

Similarly, who is this new Mutou child going to be? Yugi had no younger siblings, and if Youko is in the same situation as herself…

She doesn't want to think about it too much, in all honesty. Now is a time of joy and happiness, not sadness. She's going to be a Nee-chan!

She can't wait!

This little sibling will be so precious to her. She'll protect them no matter what.

She will do whatever she has to to make sure they have the best life possible in this world.

No matter what.

* * *

Joey can't wait to get to Grandpa's daycare. More so than usual that day.

He's got great, big, very important news to share with all of his friends. No, with the world! He wants to tell ALL of the people out there who can hear him.

"I'm going to be a big brother!" He yells, storming into the room where his best friends in the whole world await him, after quickly greeting Mrs. Mutou in the door.

All of his friends shout in surprise, Youko tackling him into a hug. They all eagerly ask questions that he doesn't get really but answers what he can.

His day gets even better when he finds out that he gets _two more_ siblings and friends! Because Ko-chan and Nata-chan's moms are also having babies!

They're all going to be the _best_ older siblings in the _entire_ world. He just knows it. They'll protect them from monsters and bullies and make sure they're always happy and never sad or in pain because that's what older siblings do.

Protect their younger brothers and sisters.

He can't wait!

He's got all of his aunts and uncles, grandpa, his best friends, and his even bestest friend! (Ko-chan is special so she gets a special title!) And now he gets to be a big brother!

He's very happy. They're all going to be one huge and happy family. Happily ever after.

Maybe his mama will even smile more when she sees him with the new baby, sees how great a big brother he'll be. He hopes she will. She's already been smiling more than he's ever seen her do, just by looking at her tummy.

Things are getting better. He just _knows_ it.

* * *

When she realizes that something is growing inside of her _again_ , Sally Wheeler's first thought is to scream.

Fuck no. Not again.

She really, really, _really_ did not want to bring another one of Jared's spawn into the world.

But of course. Of course this had to happen. It's not like her life has been bad enough, anyways. Of course the damn condom had to "break" (if he was even wearing one, the _selfish_ , **manipulative** , lazy bastard) and she'd be stuck with another parasite, another mouth to feed.

Because of course.

Her life can't ever be easy. Fresh out of high school, then pregnant with some jerk who was _supposed_ to be a one-time fling. The creep from calculus, no less. (Gods, what had she been thinking. Drunk on "borrowed" booze from her dad's cabinet at a party, then home with the guy who'd been asking her out for years. Recipe for disaster).

Then her "forced" marriage so she wouldn't make a bad image for her parents and herself. (Supposedly). Ever the good, little Christian girl. Just jumping straight into the worst stereotypes. Wonderful.

She had been a foolish brat. Throwing her life away like that. She never got to actually "live" and be a young adult. No partying, no college, no concerts, no social life, no _nothing_.

And _then_. Then Jared had gone and shipped them off to _Japan_ of all places.

(And it's not like she could have stayed with her parents, having burned all bridges with them, after that sham of a "wedding". So with no money or support, she had no choice but to move with the man she called her "husband".)

7 months pregnant and alone in an apartment in a place where she barely understood the language and culture. At least they got to live in a pretty international and multicultural city. Not that it did her much good without any friends or acquaintances. She was literally alone. She knew _no one_ , had no one to turn to for help or anything. Jared had made it perfectly clear, too, that he wanted and expected her to stay at home and act like the dutiful "housewife", to top things off.

Hell to the _fucking_ no. She wasn't going to stand for it.

She threw herself into books. She hauled her pregnant behind to the library and to classes to learn as much as she could, so she could get out and do _something_ with her life. They needed the extra money, anyways.

When Joey was born, she thought she would go crazy. Being stuck in the apartment caring for him all day, unable to go anywhere.

Jared's little copy. The only part of herself in the lump of flesh was the colour of the hair, the rest was all _him_.

She hated it.

She resented the brat for it. After all, if he hadn't come along, she would be free and living her life, doing what she wanted.

Little parasite. She should've offed him with alcohol when she had the chance, but… there'd been the risk that it wouldn't kill him and just make him retarded, instead, which was more work for her. So she hadn't done it.

She's not going to do it with this one, either. Much as she resents the brat she gave birth to… he's a decent kid. Way too trusting of her and accepting of her (mostly accidental) neglect, but… he could be worse.

No, she doesn't love Jared's son. But she cares for him well enough she supposes.

She just hopes this new one won't be another mini-Jared. She can't handle two of them, let alone a third.

And so she will pray to whatever higher power there is for a girl.

Someone who'll be a tad more serene than Jared's son.

But hey, the brat she's got ended up getting her a better daycare deal than the place he was at before. Cheaper, and willing to let him sleepover for days at a time. She dislikes hand-outs, and she _really_ can't stand that damn snob Marie Bakura and her youngest daughter is seriously weird (maybe autistic - she reminded Sally of a distant cousin with the condition - yet not). But she can recognize that the little group of kids is important to Jared's spawn, so she'll accept it.

That it gives her more freedom to be herself, not Sally Wheeler the mother, is just an even bigger bonus than first anticipated.

* * *

Anzu Gardner is a happy woman. She's got her own little business, a loving husband and a wonderful little daughter. Sure, she's busy at times, but it's nothing she cannot handle.

Generally, her life is good, and she likes to see the best in all people.

People like the Mutou's, Bakura's, and Taylor's.

They are all such lovely and kind families.

She doesn't want to open the can of worms that is the Wheeler family. She's been friendly with young Sally the few times they've met, but the woman just doesn't seem interested in making any contacts. She knows she feels lonely and alone, but… there's only so much other people can do in that case.

It's a shame, because she'd love to take her under her wing and help her - she's not blind, she knows that match isn't one of made out of mutual love and respect. She can easily tell that Sally isn't happy in it and is lonely. Why, if she just asked, Anzu is sure that her dear Adam would love to help her with a divorce or something of the sort.

But she knows that it's not her place or business to bring it up. Especially since they're barely even acquaintances.

So she stays quiet and tries to help when she can.

Joseph "Joey" Wheeler is a delightful little boy who'd introduced himself with his full name and a traditional bow the first time she'd met him. Brave and loyal and with a good sense of what is right and wrong. Adam believes there's a future lawyer in him, and Anzu can see it. Kind of.

She's more inclined to picturing a little adventurer, complete with safari hat and khakis, when she thinks of the boy's future. Just like she imagines robots for tech-savvy Tristan, a little tutu for her own Tea and, Amane with a lab coat and stethoscope, possibly as a doctor or a vet with her love of caring for others and, well… Youko and Hinata are still blank slates to her, but from what Suzuki and Yume tell her, the former has the lungs of a future opera star (despite her damaged vocal chords) and the latter is well on her way to becoming a pastry chef or a little dancer.

She's proud of all the kids, they're all wonderful and such good friends to her little girl. And Grandpa Mutou is a kind and good influence to all of them. A good stand-in for Tea's biological grandparents, who all live too far away to visit or be visited all that often. ( _And_ he's a retired professor turned shop-owner. If that isn't inspiring and admirable, she doesn't know what is).

She wonders who will end up with who, if any at all. With such a close-knit group, they're bound to either match up as couples or see each other as siblings forever. (Secretly, she thinks Joey and little Youko would make an adorable couple, same with her Tea and Tristan, but she will not push anything).

When the daycare is formed, Anzu throws herself into the teaching role. She explains to them the language of flowers and how to keep a flowerpot garden. Teaches math and, in collaboration with Solomon, how to run a shop. Teamwork and schedules, those sorts of things. How to manage themselves and their time.

She loves being Auntie-sensei (and Mama-sensei, Tea refuses to call her anything else) to the kids. Loves to help shape them into good citizens and responsible humans.

Bottomline, she just loves these kids.

And she loves their families. Even the odd and slightly dysfunctional ones.

* * *

Suzuki Taylor, nee Ootori, keeps a strict view on anything that pertains to, well… anything. She wants order in all aspects of her life, and she will make sure that it stays like that.

Or rather, she _tries_ to make sure it stays like that. But giving birth to a rambunctious little boy, who has gotten equally rambunctious friends, kind of puts a stop to that.

At least there seems to be some kind of order to the chaos they cause. Elaborate plans and schemes concocted (usually thought of and lead by little Youko) out of sheer boredom or curiosity.

She tries to counter this by making sure they are never bored when in her house, but… she doesn't always succeed. (She reasons that the estimated 6 out of 10 times it works is still a victory and possibly as good as it's going to get when five 3 year olds and one 7 year old are grouped together). She's grateful that both Amane and Hinata seem to be the voices of reason for their group (most of the time), or at least for reeling Youko in. It's nice to have the help.

Luckily for her, they all seem to _love_ and _thrive_ off of music, especially Youko. (Hinata loves it too, and seems to think up her own little tunes, but she's not as passionate about it as Youko.) So keeping them interested and entertained is rather easy, especially when their unofficial leader enjoys it too.

Yes, the Mutou girl looks like Suzuki is teaching them how to perform miracles, and she is always begging to sit on the bench next to her, when she goes to the piano. Like she is casting spells, not playing an instrument.

She may not say it, but Suzuki _loves_ teaching these children. They all have real hidden talents in singing and musical instruments, and she dreams of one day turning them into a little choir. But if these children are gifted, then Youko is a prodigy.

Suzuki is grateful for these wonderful children. They taught her little boy to love and appreciate music, and to spend time with her more. They've given him friends and an older sister figure which make him so happy. He's calmed down and learning so much. (She was worried for quite some time if he was going to turn out a bully, after he fell in with that Sung-min kid, but she's happy that he was steered away from that course).

And not only did her son gain wonderful friends and influences, so did she and Todd.

She remembers the hours after first meeting the Bakura's, when Todd had been freaking out over meeting _the_ professor Solomon Mutou and budding expert Osamu Bakura. He had been unable to calm down, though it would soon pass as he built a steady friendship with the two.

She remembers her own feelings of meeting fellow mothers who she could talk to. Women who gave and asked for advice. She hadn't many friends, being busy with work and her family as well as being naturally introverted, and it was challenging to connect to people. Becoming friends with Anzu, Marie, and Yume were a godsend. She finds herself doing something in her spare time, other than practicing and keeping her home neat, and she enjoys their regular outings both with or without the children.

In her thirties and she almost feels like a teenager again.

It's wonderful. She had liked her life before, but having such good friends has really added some spark to things.

She _is_ , however, grateful that Tristan is not begging her for a younger sibling of his own after news of Yume, Marie and Mrs. Wheeler's pregnancies reached her household. Her boy is content with being a big brother to his best friends' siblings. (He hasn't always been the best at sharing his parents attention with others at times, so a sibling would be too much.)

She has taken it upon herself to educate the children about health, as well, not just the arts. She grew up in a family of doctors and nurses, so she knows a lot, simply by association. (She tries to keep it simple, but when the question of "where do babies come from" eventually is asked, she has prepared a child-friendly lecture, because she would rather play on un-tuned instruments for the rest of her life before teaching any child in her care misinformation).

She also makes sure that Joey gets the proper nutrition and care that he needs. Sure, he's never dirty or malnourished, but… alarms go off in her mind whenever she looks at him or sees his mother.

How a bitter, mistreated woman like Sally Wheeler gave birth to such a sweet child, she will never understand. But Suzuki, along with the other Mom 4 (Anzu had come up with the name as a joke, but it has stuck with them), are going to make sure that he remains that same good kid.

They are all wonderful children. And she is grateful, and will always _be_ grateful for them and their families for coming into her life and breaking up the order she so loves. For bringing a little chaos and balancing her out.

Now… if only she can get them interested in a different instrument each, then they'll be the perfect little band in no time.

* * *

She has always been a skittish woman, has always had her nervous and anxious tendencies. Nothing new about it, it's just the way she is. Especially compared to her twin sister, Shizukana, who is all hot-tempered and commanding.

Despite all that, becoming a mother has, by far, been the most stressful thing Yume has ever had to go through in her twenty-something years of life.

Oh, she adores motherhood. Loves staying at home and watching over everything. But it is a bigger hassle than she thought it might be.

But such is the life as the mother of Mutou Youko, she guesses. She truly loves her little girl. Her daughter is a brilliant girl, a prodigy. But sometimes she's too much.

It's a battle to keep Youko entertained and out of trouble. To answer all of her questions and treat her like an adult rather than the three year old she is. Where she even got that high level of intelligence from, she has no idea. She, herself, was never really all that outstanding in anything except maybe cooking and sewing. Housewife type of work.

Her daughter sometimes reminds her of her twin, Youko is very different of course, but they do both have that same passionate fiery temper and a knack for jumping into things head first.

She misses her sister. It has been years since they last spoke or anything. The last she had heard was that her older sister had given birth to a boy, her nephew. And the last she had told her sister was that she had been pregnant with a baby.

She's never even seen a picture of her nephew. And her sister never reacted to the news of her baby niece or nephew.

She should try to get in touch with her sister and her family. It had been too long, and family should always stay together.

Even if her brother-in-law's family is… difficult, if not completely awful. They had yet to approve of Kana last time they spoke. (She hopes they have come around by this time, though she finds it very unlikely.)

But Youko deserves to know her cousin and aunt and uncle. And Yume truly misses her big sister. They'd always supported each other through childhood, thick as thieves, best friends forever.

It was only thanks to her brother-in-law and his family that her Onee-chan even stopped contacting her in the first place. (Though on her part, she should have never stopped sending letters and trying to call. Maybe she should start again. And pull out her photos and share them with Youko, now that she's going to be a Nee-chan, too).

She's not lonely. Never. Solomon is a good companion and kind to all of the children who pass through their life. He's a brilliant companion to discuss things with and she is grateful to have him around and so involved in their lives.

Now, if only she could say the same about her husband.

Yume loves Yakumo. He's a good and hard-working man who does his best to help put food on the table. But sometimes… sometimes she wishes he'd work a little less hard.

He's almost a stranger to Youko. He's rarely home, Yume feels more married to her father-in-law than to her actual husband. And as horrible as it is to acknowledge… he's a better father to Youko, too.

Solomon takes Youko and her friends to the park and knows which stories she likes the best at bedtime. Yakumo thinks she likes frilly, pink dresses like "every little girl" and that she can't even read yet when she's more than capable of it. And those are just the most recent examples.

She loves her husband. She really does.

But sometimes… he makes it so difficult for her.

And even though she knows why, it still breaks her heart to watch Youko ignore Yakumo, treat him like a stray animal that comes and goes as it pleases.

She even asked Youko once about Yakumo and her answer, while cold, made sense:

" _He's not my father, mama. I don't know that man and frankly, I don't need him. I have Jiji, he's more than enough of a father to me. I care for Yak-father as a family member, but how can I love someone I don't know?"_

Her daughter, the three-year old "philosopher" and budding prodigy. Her enigma of a child, her little sunshine with shimmering eyes, who screamed until her vocal-cords frayed. Yume has spent many a night looking at her while she slept, feeling both intense love and sadness and worry.

At least she's not alone in her worries. Not since meeting Marie, and then Anzu and Suzuki.

It's a relief to know that all children have their quirks and things they do that worry their parents.

Anzu is a gem and a breath of fresh air, always bringing flowers and houseplants to brighten up her home. (Youko seems to take a shine to them all, deciding to name the plants that last. She's even demanded that everyone have one plant that's theirs and they name.) Her husband, Adam, is jovial and relaxed with a little pot-belly her aunts would have raged against, but which Anzu just sees as part of his charm. Yume admires that about their relationship - this easy acceptance and good-natured banter she has seen them engage in. ( _And_ he's a lawyer, as well. His entire demeanor and personality feels like it's an odd match, yet it also fits him well).

Marie is Marie. Her best friend, even if she can be a bit overbearing and infuriating at times. She recognizes the stubbornness in her, because it was also in her Shizukana, only it's much stronger in the Bakura matriarch. Still, the experience has taught her how to handle such a person, and she is one of the few people who can talk Marie away from an idea… when she's not accidentally encouraging it. (Like this pregnancy. Yume has a sneaking suspicion that Osamu isn't quite as thrilled about it as he acts).

Osamu… he is strange to her. He speaks often of the advantages of their modern world, of all of the benefits they have compared to the olden times. But just as often she sees him engage in the same rituals and motions she has heard him write off as silly superstitions and wastes of time. He contradicts himself almost all the time, and she's not sure he's aware of it.

Suzuki Taylor reminds her of her mother… strict but loving (and she adores her so much secretly. To watch Youko flourish and glow with joy when she sings and plays instruments makes her heart weep with her own joy. She can't wait to see how far her daughter will go with her musical talents.)

And Todd Taylor. He's a good man, a man who knows how to listen. Yume assumes you have to be to be a psychologist. He is always willing to listen to her about her worries and knows how to reassure her. (He has even offered to talk with Youko - test her to see if there's a diagnose that can explain her daughter's oddities, if it would make her feel better. Yume has declined several times, wanting to wait until Youko is older to see if it's something _she_ would like to happen, though she has a feeling she won't).

(She knows that Todd would have made the same offer to Marie about Hinata and herself, but he _knows_ that Marie's reaction would not be a pleasant one.)

Youko and Hinata. Hinata and Youko. Their odd, sweet, little girls. They are like sisters, and Yume knows that should anything happen to Marie and Osamu, she would gladly take in the girl. Amane too, of course, and the new little one that's on the way. (And she's grateful that Amane is around. She seems to be the best one to get the girls to listen to.)

They'd be one big, happy family. She dreams of it, sometimes. All of them, living in one house, helping each other out and doing what they can to keep everything in order. Shizukana and her child, too.

.

.

.

She _hopes_ she'll get to experience it one day… more than anything in her life.

Before it's too late.

* * *

Marie knows what she wants. She's always known what she wants, when she wants it and she's going to get it, no matter what.

It's gotten her her husband, her children and a wonderful house close to her best friend, just to name her most recent achievements.

So why, she often wonders, is it that her life feels so… empty? Like she's lacking something vital that she does not yet know how to get? She almost feels like a woman in a book she once read… a powerful woman who was given everything she wanted, yet still acted so indifferent to everything (even children were stolen in an attempt to make her say _thank you_ , but with no results*).

But no children have been stolen and Marie is more than capable of thanking people. She should be happy, she _is_ happy… but not _happy_. Somehow, it feels like there's a difference to her. Even when she's filled with joy at the third life growing inside of her, it doesn't feel quite as genuine as when she was pregnant with Amane and Hinata.

She wonders why. She has everything she could possibly ever want. What is she missing?

She has a wonderful home, a loving husband and two (soon to be three) perfect children, who are friends with (more or less) good children from pleasant families. She is _friends_ with three out of four of those families, and she spends her time doing what she didn't know she wanted to do, but now cannot see herself being anything but: a mother and a housewife.

Yup. She's never wanted anything more in her life. It's not like she wanted to be a professor in linguistics or anything. _Not at all_. Once upon a time, maybe, but now? Motherhood is the way to go! The Marie in the past would've fought tooth and nail to get that Ph.D., but then Osamu Bakura came along and oh boy. She'd decided right then and there that she wanted that man.

No matter the price she had to pay.

So she's had to give up on a few things. Sacrifices have to be made for the greater good. Osamu had stayed with her in London until his studies were finished - he went against his original plan. A sacrifice. In return, she went to Kyoto with him when he found job at the university there. A sacrifice. She gave up her job at Gressenheller, her old dream, and went with him like the dutiful wife she was. Like the dutiful wife she _is_.

They've both made sacrifices to get their happiness.

That's why she doesn't understand why Osamu can't be a little more _enthusiastic_ about their lives.

They have a house, good friends, wonderful daughters, and a third child on the way. They're all _happy_ , healthy, _normal,_ and smart. _Nothing_ is _wrong_ with any of them, and they all do so much. No matter what that deranged, wicked woman that is Sally Wheeler says. (How _dare_ she insinuate that her Hinata doesn't love her. Marie knows Hinata _adores_ her. Her and Osamu both. She has to. They're her parents - _all_ children have to love their parents).

Nevermind that her own relationship with her mother is a little… unorthodox. So they haven't spoken since she ran away from home to stay with Osamu. That was different. Her mother never approved of anything she did, never accepted her for who she was. Marie loves and accepts Hinata just as she is, quirks and all. That is, she _would_ , if Hinata had any oddities to begin with. She doesn't. Her baby is _perfect_. She was just a _little_ sick as an infant, and she is very delicate now. Nothing _unusual_ about that.

 _Not. At. All_.

So really, Osamu has nothing to be so quiet and sullen about. Their life couldn't be more wonderful and rosy. (Literally, ever since shortly after Hinata was born, it's like she's been walking around in a soft-pink mist - her vision is covered with it, no matter what she does. She hasn't told anybody - they'd tell her to see a doctor, but she's sure she's fine. _Perfect_ , even).

Not to mention that their new friends are good families. Anzu and Suzuki both run their own businesses, and the former is married to a lawyer and the latter to a psychologist. Sure, Yakumo is just an ordinary businessman, but Solomon used to be a professor of archaeology, just like her Osamu, so that doesn't matter. _Not all that much, anyways_. (It's not _at all_ **important** to her that, out of all of them, _Yakumo_ is the only one without a university degree. Her darling friend Yume does _not_ count, because at least she _tried_ going into culinary arts, but quit after meeting Yakumo. _Doesn't count at all._ Yume is a good person who _sacrificed_ her dreams to be a _good wife and mother_ , just like she did).

Maybe she should be a little resentful towards Suzuki and Anzu as well. They work. They're not acting according to the unwritten code of motherhood she's sworn to follow. Yet they still stay at home and take care of their children. They've somehow found a middle-way.

Marie doesn't really know what to feel about that.

At least they're not like that _Sally Wheeler_ and her so-called husband. _Abandoning her child_. Working all day (if that's _actually_ what she's doing - Marie is willing to bet that the majority of her days are spent at a sleazy bar) when she could stay home and take care of her… she doesn't even know if they live in a proper house or an apartment… while her _poor husband_ works himself half to death. They've never even _met_ the poor man, he must be so worn down from all the work.

Much like her own father was. He was a sad, tired man with a temper. So she received a slap now and then, even if she hadn't been disobedient. So what? _He loved her_ , like all parents should. (He had to have loved her, _he had to_ , Marie _knows_ it deep within her heart).

Marie's life is absolutely perfect, _yes sir_. Even if there are a few… _drawbacks and exceptions_ to that, but still perfect.

Like her Hinata's little _friend_. Joey.

Marie supposes he's a good kid. She'd _really_ rather not have him anywhere near her children (and Youko and Tristan and Tea - the kids from _good_ families), but… this is one thing she knows Hinata is more stubborn than her on. And she's backed by Youko and the rest of their friends.

At least he's polite and knows better than _some_ people in his life. He may not always be the cleanest little boy, but he always washes his hands and brings his own slippers in his little backpack. (He has also practically been adopted by both the Taylors and the Mutous, so there's a lot of good influence for him there).

Both Tea and Tristan are sweet little babies. Like her Hinata and Amane, Tea is the picture perfect example of a little _princess_. All pretty in pastels and prints and little skirts and dresses. Sure, she gets her clothes a little dirty, but that's to be expected from a child who is still learning how to walk straight. Tristan is a little gentleman, and even if he has difficulties with sharing, he still lets his friends play with his toys. Sharing is caring and all that.

Youko Mutou… Ko-chan is not quite as princessy and pink as Marie would have liked or expected. Most of the time she's a rowdy little troublemaker with a thirst for knowledge she shouldn't have. She always carries some sort of game or puzzle (her favorite currently being a rubik's cube) fidgeting with it almost _constantly_. The little clicks grate on her nerves and hearing. But! If it keeps her from causing major property damage, she's not going to take it from her. Besides, she's Hinata's first friend ever and Amane's first friend in Domino City. That's something she will always be grateful for.

And her little Amane. Clever Amane the, admittedly, _easier_ child to care for. Her little Snow White with her dark eyes, red lips and snowy hair. (So the colours don't quite match, but she's still just as perfect and sweet and obedient. A little fairy tale princess come to life). Marie has no doubts that her little girl is going to go far in life - a great mother, with her caring nature

Yes. Marie's life is _perfect_. Just _wonderful_. Couldn't be better.

So she's getting headaches more often. That can be remedied with fresh air and a different diet. And her vision might also be failing a bit, but… well, eyes change. Vision can deteriorate. It is _normal_. Nothing is _wrong_. They are all _happy_ and _healthy_ and there is _nothing_ wrong with _any_ of them.

Least of all her.

* * *

Osamu regrets everything he's ever done and said in his life.

E. Ve. Ry. Thing.

Well, everything in his married life anyways. Starting with getting engaged to Marie Briar.

He remembers his early days of their relationship fondly. He'd been a clumsy, little foreigner, his first trip outside of Japan. Going to Kyoto University to Gressenheller University in London had been quite the culture shock, and he'd found himself feeling… empty. Lonely.

Just another exchange student, just another foreigner with little social skills and no true ability at making friends outside of study-groups and the lecture halls. His life had consisted of studying, going to lectures, taking care of his basic needs and repeating. Day after day.

But then… then he'd met Marie.

The woman was a spitfire and he'd found it incredibly attractive back then. Her hair the purest white, always unruly and always moving.

He'd been smitten with her since that first glance as she spoke at some public event on campus. He'd just been minding his own business, passing through, when he'd seen her standing on a box, her voice carried by the wind.

It had been a bit of a whirlwind romance, he will admit. And maybe they should've done something differently. Well… they should probably have done a _lot_ of things differently.

In the end, after his original year in London was over, he decided to stay and marry Marie. He no longer knows if that was a good or bad idea.

Hindsight is 20/20, as they say. He knows that that could not be more true after 9 or so years of marriage.

Marie Briar was a feisty language major, specializing in all sorts of lost or semi-lost texts and tongues. She was fun and had a lot of crazy ideas, as well as the drive to see them become reality.

Marie Bakura…Marie Bakura is a different case entirely.

After marrying him and becoming a mother, she settled, but that spitfire spirit created wars whenever it came to anything she put her mind to.

Marie Bakura, is a stubborn woman who does what she wants, when she wants, and doesn't bother to ask what others think. She is a woman who does not compromise on anything. It's either her way, or her way. Nothing else.

Her impulsive nature, once endearing and attractive, turned to very frustrating and unbearable.

What he thought was drive to see her ideas through wasn't drive at all, but the belief that she alone knew best without even considering that other people might have better ideas and solutions than her.

Not to mention her sheer disregard for the consequences of her actions or inactions, so long as she got her way…

In short, marrying Marie Brair is nothing like he had thought and hoped it would be.

He's dissatisfied and disappointed. (He's not sure if it's with himself and his choices or with Marie, or both).

He has no doubt that if it wouldn't have made things more complicated, he would have divorced her long ago. But then… then Amane had entered the picture. He would never force a woman to raise a child all by herself with no support, especially his own child. (And he also wouldn't leave the poor child with Marie, who knows what could happen. He knows she would never harm her child, but with her disregard to consequences…..)

(He would've suggested couples' therapy ages ago, if he hadn't known she'd never go along with it, or if he hadn't feared the scandal it would cause).

And things had been okay for the most part. He had hoped motherhood would mellow and mature Marie, and it had to a point. But not by much. In fact, she became even more stubborn and controlling with Amane's birth.

Amane…..Amane helps. He loves his daughter, he truly does. She makes it easier to go through the days. But as much as he loves her, fatherhood is nothing like he had imagined either.

When he'd been young, discipline had been a big part of his life. His father had run a tight ship and there had never been any long-lasting problems. Osamu himself was never hit (though he knows a few of his cousins were), and he thinks himself fortunate for it.

Back then it had been normal - parents and teachers were allowed to hit children. And even if he was never on the receiving end of it, there had always been the knowledge that he could have been, and that kept him in line.

Amane isn't growing up in the same age as he did. Now, beating children is illegal. And he has realized that, without that underlying fear, it is surprisingly difficult to reign in a young child.

Not that Amane is a wild child and gets away with everything, but she is much more outspoken than what is proper and appropriate. She still does many things that she shouldn't and he has no way in reigning her in or disciplining her. Any effort he makes in raising and teaching her are wiped away by Marie.

And then his second daughter was born.

And everything went from hard and challenging to practically unbearable.

Hinata… Hinata is, by far, the strangest child he has _ever_ met in his life. And he's the honorary uncle of Mutou Youko.

He has no idea why she is the way she is. The stubbornness is certainly from Marie, but everything else… he just doesn't understand. Aside from some of her smart remarks, and obvious intentional disobedience, she's a well behaved child. Too well behaved. Too smart. Too _knowing_.

His first clue to something being wrong should be the months where she just went… _quiet_. Almost from one hour to the next she went from being an ordinary baby to _something else_. (His old grandmother, may she rest in peace, would have cried demon and changeling, but he knows better. He's a man of science, a man of _reason_. He doesn't believe in such silly superstitions, he _doesn't_! She'd just been sick, that was all. Maybe it had changed her, then - minor damage to her psyche or something like that).

 _(There are no such things as magic and demons and spirits)_.

The other clues and hints are from how she acts. Hinata is too perceptive and understanding. She's a child, at her age there is so much they can't understand and process. Yet Hinata does as if she's an adult. And her overall knowledge – there is much she knows and things she talks about that she should have _no_ way of knowing. She has no access to places where she could hear or read or learn about any of the things she knows. (Even her English is more advanced than it should be. _Way_ more advanced.)

Marie remains willfully ignorant to all of this. She has gotten it into her head that there couldn't possibly be anything wrong with any of her children, despite them meeting the Mutou's _specifically_ because they had a similarly odd child. But no - Marie the Mother knows best.

And without a way to discipline his children, Osamu is at his wits end. Hinata shows no respect or love to either of her parents really. She talks back and doesn't obey them and is rude and cold to them. (Even if most of the time she's justified and in the right. She still should obey and respect them both. They're her parents.)

So, if you were to ask him straight up if he likes being a father, the answer is a resounding "NO." Osamu Bakura does _not_ enjoy fatherhood. At all.

(He refuses to blame it on Hinata alone, even if it's tempting. Just because a lot of things in his life started going downhill after her birth, it does not mean she is at the root of it. He is, after all, a man of common sense and science, even if he studies an awful lot of old legends in relation to his ruins and artifacts. He _knows_ that it's a combination of many things.).

And now… now he's going to be a father for a third time. And, as much as the knowledge that another life is going to enter the world because him should _thrill_ him… it doesn't. Far from.

Osamu does not want another child. Thr-Two kids were more than enough for him. (He wants to say three sometimes when people ask how many he has, because Marie is more of a child than a wife most days, recently.)

Osamu loves his wife, (as much as he can) but the one thing he loves the least about her is her stubbornness.

Because while he is, of course, happy to know there's a new addition to the family on the way… he can't say he's pleased about it, either. He really hadn't wanted any more kids. It had all been Marie's wish, and she had refused to budge. (As usual.) They were having another kid- end of discussion.

As it is, there hadn't even been a discussion. She'd just come up to him, out of the blue, and told him: "I'm pregnant!" And there was no doubt that it was his.

She hadn't even thought to include him in the decision because, as she'd told him when asked "why," she knew he'd say no. So she'd just stopped taking her pills and… that was it. (Nevermind that that mindset borderlines rape, he knows. He hadn't consented to unprotected intercourse. But he also hadn't bothered to make sure she was using her pills. He'd just assumed. And he should have known better since she had been asking and talking about a third child for several weeks by then.)

He supposes it's his own fault, in _some_ way. His idea of getting back at Yakumo (which backfired spectacularly) for giving Marie the idea that they move to Domino had been to suggest they give Youko another playmate - let _him_ suffer through a moody, pregnant wife a second time!

But then the wives talked, and Marie got it into her head that she wanted another child. Youko and Hinata had each other, so the new Mutou baby should have a Bakura best friend too.

Not to mention that they had thought it an absolutely _wonderful_ idea to be pregnant together. To go to appointments and preparation together, to shop themselves poor together, to go to yoga for expecting mothers together, etc.

Done is done. Maire had made her decision and he was left in the dust to pick up the bills and face the consequences for the both of them. (Again. Like usual.)

" _Wonderful._ Absolutely _wonderful,"_ he thinks to himself, whenever he looks through their debts.

And to make it worse, Hinata is excited, _thrilled,_ to have a new sibling. He had been hoping she would be against it, like she is many things regarding Marie. Had hoped she would be upset to lose the attention.

But no. She is a ball of sunshine and smiles, asking way too many advanced questions about the baby. Marie loves it, loves bonding with her youngest daughter. She doesn't realize that Hinata shouldn't even know most of these words or terms in the _first place_. She _shouldn't know_ about the trimesters of pregnancy or the proper ways to stay healthy and happy and comfortable while pregnant.

He doesn't know where she (or Youko, for that matter) get that knowledge from. They've never been taught or told about any of it. Solomon usually gives all parents a little update on their progress at the end of the week, and they've never really covered anything on pregnancy before the three mothers (even if Marie barely acknowledges Sally Wheeler's existence) revealed themselves to have buns in the oven. And they've certainly never gone over something quite as advanced as what Hinata is asking about.

Like he loves his wife, he loves Hinata. But… his daughter… his youngest daughter is _creepy_. There's no other way to put it.

He prides himself on being a modern man. Someone who knows reason and good, common sense.

But damn it if the old practices of his grandmother, who had been a priestess back in the day, don't also haunt his mind and actions from time to time.

He can hear her now sometimes. Imagine her reactions to his youngest and…..she would believe Hinata to be possessed or a demon. And he knows that it's not right and that there are no such things….

Yuki-Musume. All cold rage and icy glares. Distant and unloving. Little girl, made of snow and frost. (Even her coloring would match the descriptions his grandmother had given him in her stories when he was a child.) Not to mention her birth during an early snowstorm...

But he…..he _knows_ better. Hinata isn't like that. She loves them all. (Even if it's only since the news of the baby that she's opened up and bonded with Marie. Amane has always held a special place in her heart, though).

He can't help but feel excluded from her love though at times. The looks she gives him, the offhand comments, and reactions to things he says…...it's like she is disappointed in him, among other things.

It's like she's expecting something from him. For something to happen.

And then that odd question she'd asked him when he'd tucked her in a few nights prior…

" _Father… if something bad happened, what would you do? Would you stay and fight or run away?"_

He hadn't known what to answer, but he told her what he thought she'd want to hear: stay and fight.

The sad, understanding look she gave him and her quiet, resigned counter-question chilled his heart, as if an icy hand had reached in and grabbed it.

" _Are you sure, Father?"_

No more words had been spoken, and she had fallen asleep shortly after.

Yes, his child is odd. Strange. _Other_. No better way to put it.

He loves her, but…..

She scares him.

Yuki-Musume, hiding amongst mere mortals in plain sight.

No, he thinks firmly and shakes his head. His grandmother was crazy and he is a modern man with common sense. There's no such thing.

 _._

 _._

 _._

" _But are you sure about that?"_ Whispers a voice in the back of his mind.

* * *

*Referring to the book "The Glassblower's Children", because Nordic was reminded of it while writing for Marie.

* * *

Stars' AN:

Welcome back my duckies to Caught in the Game!

Here we have a filler chapter, so not much happens in terms of progression, you _do_ get to see other povs and gain insight into the other characters heads though.

We really wanted to show depth to the characters, make them more understandable and real. We wanted to really show the reasoning behind actions and how they are, give them a chance to be known and loved, not disliked right away without reason. It can be so easy to write a character and not like them and give no reason to why they do what they do or why they're disliked.

And while Nordic and I have (and will) taken creative license with many things for this fic, a lot of this is still close and actually canon. How some of them act and what they do. (Like Joey's parents)

Joey is an adorable and precious baby, loyal and caring. Sally is a young woman forced to become an adult and parent way too soon. (Sadly she's not going about trying to be a better person or improve anything.) Yume is sweet and kind, but a little disgruntled, (and being a bit too passive on things). Marie is a ball of confusion and contradictions, and there is something very wrong….and Osamu is in denial and be not even trying to fix any of the issues he's got (and so many things could be fixed if he actually _tried._ )

So you all have learned about the Moms and an early pov from Osamu this chapter. You learn more backstory from several of them. Like Yume having a twin. (Whose name is supposed to mean calm or peaceful. Which was Nordics idea :)), or that Sally and Marie have similar lives growing up in some aspects. And we see that they're not all clueless or anything about the girls being "odd".

Not gonna lie, this chapter was hard to write. It took us a long while to get things down for each person and then write it up. Not sure why, but fillers are challenging it seems, and so are characters who don't "exist" in a way in the series. With nothing to go on for them, it makes it hard.

Shoutout to all of the people who viewed and all of our current followers and faves and our new followers and favorites (Falco peregrinus, Neo gen x, DemonCats, MystereKitsune, God Emperor Terra Bornstellar, and Spiteful Elegance)

And thank you for the one new review Uberch01.

Please, _PLEASE_ leave us comments and reviews, especially if you have any questions or are confused! We love them so much and are more than happy to explain things to you guys. They give us motivation and such happiness. :3

Thanks again to the amazingly talented and lovely Moirei for Beta-ing for us, as always :)

(Also I forgot to mention this last chapter but, yes, the song is "Stressed Out" by Twenty One Pilots. And the "I like your shoelaces" is a tumblr meme.)

Both Nordic and I have Tumblr's (same usernames) so feel free to look us up on there too.

Well that's it for this time, so thanks again for reading my duckies and we'll see you all next time on Caught in the Game!

Counting Sinful Stars

AN: Here we are again! Welcome back, guys, to another chapter of Caught in the Game!

Lots of important stuff happens this chapter, even if it's mostly filler-stuff. We wanted to flesh out the parents a bit more and show some "behind the scenes" kind of stuff. We hope you enjoyed it. This was so difficult to write, you have no idea, but it needed to be written.

See, not all is well in these families. Far from, really. It kind of goes with being important characters in Yu-Gi-Oh: you're not allowed to have a happy backstory. (Seriously, NONE of the important main characters have a happy backstory. The only ones who do are Tea and Tristan, and even then we don't know anything about their home lives! Not really, anyways).

Sally is miserable and caught in a situation she doesn't like, Yume wants a husband who spends more time with his family, Marie is in denial and Osamu is just miserable, period. It's the drama the kids might not catch on to, but it's still very relevant to the plot. We wanted to give you guys a reason for their actions. We didn't want characters who are born to be disliked. We hope we succeeded in doing that.

On a happier note: babies! They're on the way! Hooray! But which babies? Who are they? (Well, we all knew Serenity was coming, in any case).

Next chapter we'll take a look at the fathers' POV and opinions on each other. Well, SPOILERS, aside from Jared. Nobody likes Jared and he's not important to the plot. Barely even in canon.

Big thanks to all of the favorites and follows and that one really nice review!

See you guys next time!

Nordic Twin

 **Edited/Beta by Moirei**

 **Finished & Published June** **24, 2017**


	9. The Bonds Between Family

**Chapter 8-** **The Bonds Between Family**

If there is one thing worse than being 5 years old and waiting for a younger sibling to come, it is being 7 years old (almost 8!) and waiting for a younger sibling to come.

Seriously, Amane did her waiting once. Now she has to do it again?!

Still, it's fun watching her mommy's belly grow again, and listening to her talk to the new baby. And now she's got Nata-chan to share the experience with! She doesn't have to feel so lonely anymore, and she'll still have someone to play with while her new baby brother or sister grows to a fun age!

Mommy's been more calm. She hums more, sings even. Amane likes it, she's got such a pretty voice.

Mommy and Nata-chan are even getting along better! It makes her so happy! Cause mommy's happy and Nata's happy! Now if only daddy would be happy and not look at mommy and Nata like they're strange.

Daddy's been frightening her a bit lately, honestly. He looks so blank and empty when he thinks nobody's looking. He spends more time at work, too, and she's heard him muttering about not having a choice in getting "this one". And the way he sometimes looks at Nata-chan… it's scary and makes her feel funny, like her heart gets heavy and goes super fast like when she runs.

She misses her daddy. The person her was before Nata-chan got sick. He smiled more, laughed, brought mommy flowers now and then. Played with her.

He doesn't do that anymore.

Not that she blames Nata-chan. Never! She's loves Nata-chan and mommy and all of her new aunties and uncles and cousins, even if there's no blood between them!

But she worries. Daddy is so different now. He doesn't tell her bedtime stories anymore, or ask her about school, or help her with her schoolwork! And sometimes he comes home with a funny smell lingering on his clothes, like smoke and something sticky-sweet. A bit like those shops mommy says not to enter because "it's all tricks and mirrors in there".

Mommy doesn't notice. She doesn't act like she notices. But Amane does, and she thinks Nata-chan does, too. 'Cause Nata-chan gives daddy these sad looks and like she knows what daddy's doing. And then daddy looks scared and leaves the room for a bit.

So yeah. Her home is weird. Her family is weird, in all honesty. But she still loves them.

In the end, she decides not to worry and focuses on the coming sibling instead.

She tries to be there for everything she can. Measuring the growing bump on her mommy's and Aunt Yume's stomachs, teaching all her little siblings how to be proper big siblings and how they can help the mommies out.

She's even begun helping out around the house! Little things, like dusting and watering the houseplants and cleaning her room. But every little bit counts, and Mommy looks so happy when she does.

Now if she could just find a way to make daddy happy, then everything would be perfect!

* * *

Yakumo has never quite been the best with children. Not like his wife and certainly not like his father, who is willing to and already has adopted at least five other grandchildren while eagerly awaiting two more additions.

Don't get him wrong, he likes children well enough, so long as they're decently well-behaved and not deliberately cruel to anyone. But he's not _good_ with them. He's not sure how to interact with them and their tiny bodies and loud voices and unpredictable thought-patterns. Adults he can handle, because there's all sorts of small-talk to do with them. The weather, the news, politics, business… those sorts of things.

Ironically, the most mature and adult-like child he's ever known is also the one he has the most trouble connecting with.

And that child is his own daughter, Youko.

Little Ko-chan is one of the oddest, and possibly smartest child he has ever met. She can read, do semi-advanced math and she's got a thirst for history and legends that rivals that of his father's. She's also got a weak immune system and has spent more times in the hospital than he has in his entire life. She loves sweets, and has a strong dislike for anything sour.

Or so he's been told, anyways, by his wife and father. For the most part, he's mostly never been around to witness a lot of these things.

Mutou Yakumo doesn't _know_ his own daughter. He knows her, of course, and he played a pretty important part in the creation of her. But he doesn't _know_ her. And he has a hard time figuring out whether that should hurt or not.

He observes her as she runs around the park with Joey, one of her best friends, playing catch or something similar. His wife had insisted that he watch them at the park, maybe play with them even. She had also warned him that he needed to keep a close eye on Youko, because she comes up with crazy schemes when she got bored, and Joey will go along with anything she can think of.

He wonders, sometimes… will his daughter do great things for the world, or will she become a criminal mastermind before the age of 16? She's certainly got the brains for both. And with how she acts at times, it is difficult figuring out whether or not she's just mischievous or something else. Then again, some criminal masterminds break the law just for the fun of it…

He's a busy man. He knows that. Yume tells him all the time that she'd wish he was home more, would spent more time with her and Youko in particular. And yeah, he knows that his own father is probably more of a father to his daughter than he is, and he would love nothing more than to change that.

The problem is that he's just not sure where to even begin to fix the damage he's already caused in the relationship between him and this tiny girl who looks so much like his family that there's no doubting who she's related to. (Definitely his face-shape, Yume's nose and fair skin, his father's eyes and the straight, iridescent black hair of his mother and the red sheen and blonde bangs coming from both himself and his father).

All of her needs are mostly taken care of. Yume handles her clothing and knows her preferences, so he can't really buy her anything exciting on his trips abroad. He has a feeling dresses won't be appreciated, and he has no in-depth understanding of her size anyways. His father handles her mental stimulation and access to toys (puzzles and games, mostly), and he has no idea what to even get her on that front other than books. He knows she's already an advanced reader, but how to even start discussing book preferences with a toddler? Most kids her age would love picture books, but they won't be appreciated either. All the dolls and little trinkets he buys her on his trips just end up on her shelves to gather dust, or is otherwise donated to children in need.

(He's half tempted to ask Yume if they should just buy her a piano and books with basic pieces in, since she seems so eager to learn. They might have to take a minor loan or cut down on something, but it could be doable… maybe a keyboard instead…)

"Mr. Mutou look out!"

He blinks, returning from his musings to look in the direction of the kids. Then there's a flash of intense pain as the ball bounces off of his head and back onto the grass.

He winces. "Well, that hurt. Good throw, whoever threw that," he says, rubbing at the sore spot.

"Oops. Sorry father." Youko says with a sheepish grin.

He waves his hand around. "No harm done, I'm fine, I'm fine. Nicely done, Youko-chan. You should go into baseball with a throwing arm like that".

(Getting her a baseball glove and a proper bat would probably be cheaper than the piano… decisions, decisions).

He glances at his watch. They've been in the park for a few hours, and they're bound to be tired or hungry by now. "Say, why don't we head back home? I'm sure you can bully Mama into letting you have a cookie or an apple or something before dinner".

They nod enthusiastically and immediately rush towards the exit of the park. Yakumo has to run to catch up to them and secures the children, one in each hand. Joey is chatting away rapidly, while Youko has gone quiet in his near presence.

He feels a weight settle in his stomach, feels it grow as they walk and Youko remains silent. Is he really that much of a stranger to his own daughter that she doesn't feel comfortable or safe around him?

He wants to fix it. He really does. He might even come to actually care more for her than just because she's his daughter. He wants to desperately to know and love this tiny human.

He may not know how to or what he's doing but he can at least _try_.

"Say, Youko-chan…" he tries to break the the silence. She turns big eyes on him and squeezes his hand in response, but still doesn't say anything.

"Yume and Suzuki tell me you're really interested in the piano. Is that true?" He asks, and her eyes light up, nodding eagerly.

"It's so beautiful!" She exclaims. "It's as if… I think if colours had sounds, they'd come from a piano. Blue in particular".

He blinks down at her. "Blue sounds like a piano?" She nods eagerly again. "What does the other colours sound like, then?"

And that was, apparently, the way to go, because now it's Youko who talk a mile a minute with Joey adding things now and then, giving them his opinions.

Flutes are light green and a pale yellow.

Violins are a royal purple and crimson red.

Guitars are orange and a light sky blue.

Drums are brown, deep green and the colour of the sky before a thunderstorm.

Trumpets are bright red, too, and gold.

Clarinets are grey and black.

And singing, voices themselves… are rainbows. All the colors. Each person has a main color of course and their range is different, but they can reach many colors. Besides, she reasons, voices can also mimic a lot of instruments if used in the right way.

He learns a lot about his daughter and her friend that afternoon, and for once, he feels like a father.

The next time he goes away on a long trip, he returns with a child-sized violin and a stack of basic sheet music, instead of the usual doll or toy.

The joy that brightens her face at the sight of the gifts he's brought, and the shrieks of her happiness, warm him straight to his soul.

And in that moment, he truly feels like a _father_.

Yume smiles at him for weeks for it and Suzuki thanks him profusely for taking the first official steps towards giving his daughter a future in music.

And his own father…...well, hearing "I'm proud of you", and the happy look he receives for weeks after make him feel so happy. He's pretty sure those were the best weeks ever. (Next to his wedding and Youko's birth of course.)

* * *

Hinata has to admit that as crazy as her mother can be, she's kind of… she won't call it nice, not quite yet, but… pleasant. Tolerable.

She had come to a realization that she was being…..awful really. She was never like this in her first life, and to be like it now is scary. So Hinata took a step back from everything and _really_ looked at not only herself but more at everyone else too. Their actions and how they talk, and seeing the motives and intentions behind everything.

Marie is crazy from something, somehow. But she's a loving, caring mother, and has the best intentions at heart. So with this discovery and others, along with the very high chance that her second mother could die soon, Hinata decided to start over. Bond with her family, get to actually know them better and be kind and loving, like they deserve.

Of course it would be a tad bit easier if her new daddy-dearest was also in on the "hey, I've decided to get to know you and love you" idea, because he's out of the house so much lately and becomes more withdrawn each and every day…

He worries her really. He comes home more tired and more on edge. When he looks and even talks to her, it's like he's scared and mad at the same time but trying to hide it and act as if everything is okay.

She knows that things between her parents are strained, she's been able to see that all isn't well and how they act to each other. (Which isn't healthy and would lead to divorce in most couples, but for _some_ reason they're still together.) So with cowardly lion father Osamu even more….moody and withdrawn, its a cause of concern. Especially with how he reacts, or doesn't, about the new baby.

She's not sure that there's anything she can do really. She'll try of course, but she's concerned that she will only make things worse.

Right now though, that's neither here nor there. She has something important to do currently. Like help decorate her new siblings room.

"What colors do you think we should use, girls?" Marie asks them, holding out a booklet that has several pallets circled.

The two little girls join forces and _ooh_ and _aah_ over various colour-schemes and suggested combinations.

"How about a light blue with white and some gold coloring? They're gender neutral so we don't have to worry about needing to change it later if we guess the wrong gender." Hinata suggests, thinking of an outfit she remembers vaguely the canon Ryou wore. The colors were nice and went well together.

"And some sand-colour!" Amane adds excitedly. "We could make an ocean room. Or one with pirates!"

" _I better not suggest anything that has to do with the occult."_ Hinata thinks in amusement. " _Mother would freak. Besides, only Youko would get the reference. And with no way of knowing if the baby is actually a younger Ryou or not….."_

Amane then flips the pages and gets to one that has a lot of purples and oranges. "Mama, isn't the baby going to be born in fall? We could make a Halloween room, too".

Marie's smile is a little stiff at the sound of that idea. "Maybe, sweetheart. Though I do like the idea of something a little more neutral".

They go back and forth forever. A room themed after the starry sky and sun with music notes, (like Youko's room) a room with stars and the moon and snowflakes, (like Hinata's room) a room inspired by flowers (like Tea's), a room with animals, (like Amane's) one centered around teddybears, cars and trucks…

In the end they decide not to copy any already existing "ideas" in their close friend group and family.

After all, this baby is going to be its own person and deserves to choose what they would like. Just like all the kids had done once old enough to.

"Let's do a light color and white. That way when they can choose what they want, it'll be easy to paint over. Plus lighter colors make the room look bigger and it's really comforting for a baby." Hinata says with a thoughtful face.

Marie nods and looks to Amane who is smiling brightly, nodding too. "Alright," their mother says. "That's decided then. Now, do you want to go shop for paints or look through possible names with me?"

"Yeah! Let's make cookies too while we look for names!" Hinata exclaims excitedly.

"Cookies!" Amane yells happily as soon as she hears the magic word. "Let's make those sugar ones with nuts in them".

"Can we please make cookies, mother?" Hinata asks politely, looking hopefully up at Marie.

Of course Marie just smiles and nods. Another thing Hinata has realized after actually spending time with her mother is that she will let them do _anything and everything_ they want with little to no consequences. As long as they ask politely and behave properly. (And don't accidentally cause property damage, though Osamu has scolded them the most for that).

It should be and is slightly alarming, but she's a 3 year old in pursuit of cookies in that moment. She's got a free-pass on this. (Plus she's still used to being an adult and having more freedoms, so she's not going to do something that takes it away from her.)

Both girls cheer at their mother's approval and race out of the room towards the kitchen.

"Hurry up mama!" Amane yells back to her, "I want cookies!...please!"

"Maybe once the baby is here, they can learn to bake with us and get to have cookies too! I can't wait!" Hinata says giddily. She _really_ can't wait for her new sibling to get here. Be it Ryou or someone else. It's going to be their baby sibling and she will love and protect them, no matter what.

Marie gets up slowly, her stomach already showing quite a bit. She smiles and laughs at their enthusiasm and fondly kisses their cheeks. "My sweet, little girls," she whispers to them, while they help her get ingredients and stirring equipment. Then they proceed to make a mess of the kitchen while glancing in the book full of names for both boys and girls.

"How about Sayuri, if it's a girl?" Amane asks, looking up from the books as Marie starts cracking eggs. " _Little Lily"_.

"We could go with an English name instead maybe? To match mother." Hinata suggests, "like Matthew or Victoria."

"Well, my grandfather was called Jonathan. I always thought it was such a nice name… though most people called him John, and that wasn't as nice," Marie tells them. "We could name one for a king or a queen… it'd be nice and traditional. Ooooh! If it's a girl and we name them Elizabeth, we could have a little Ellie".

Hinata hesitates a little. Should she or should she not…? "How about Ryou? Or Ryuu?"

Marie blinks. Then she gets a considering look in her eyes. "Hmm… dragon? The name _Ryou_ in itself have many different meanings to choose from… _refreshing,_ maybe? Or _reality_? Of course, we could name him Ryouichi and then have Ryou be a nickname…" she smiles down at Hinata and strokes her hair away. "Good suggestion, little snowdrop".

Hinata smiles at her mother while internally wondering if she did the right thing in suggesting the name.

Hindsight is 20/20, and she knows it's selfish, but… if she gets a brother and he isn't named Ryou-something, she doesn't think she'd be able to bear it.

She would truly feel like when'd taken his place or even killed the poor boy. And that would be too much for her to take.

She's pretty sure Youko feels the same about her maybe-brother.

Younger than in canon or not, Yugi and Ryou deserved all of the adventures and friends they'd go on. Not the danger and life-threatening situations - they never deserved any of that - but that's what older sisters are for. To protect the younger generation.

Eventually they settle on a couple of names they like, both Japanese and English, for each gender.

Sayuri or Elizabeth "Ellie" for a little girl. "Ryou" Ryouichi or Arthur (like in the storybooks, Amane had insisted) for a little boy. There were backups, as well, if Osamu didn't like a particular name. (Hinata doesn't think his opinion will come up really or matter all that much to her mother.)

They eventually settle down around the table with way too many cookies and milk for just the three of them, but they don't really want to include anyone else, even if Yume and Youko had been available. (Hinata knows Youko is gonna be so mad that they didn't invite them over, that girl has the biggest sweet tooth ever.)

And for the first time in quite a long time… Hinata feels at peace. Like everything is perfect and will work out just right, possibly-future catastrophes or not.

* * *

Youko knows her mother isn't the most ambitious woman. She's heard the stories of how she'd gone to culinary school before she met her father and then dropped out, ready to devote herself to a life as a housewife.

She may not understand the reasons behind this choice, not completely, but… for all that it's worth, Yume is content and happy with her life. And so Youko has decided to be happy for her mom.

They are in the living room. Youko is on the floor, sitting on a little mat as she tries her best to imitate her mother's yoga-stretches. Yume is in a strange pose that is supposed to calm and ease tension, to make the coming birth easier… or something like that. She's not too sure she believes in it, but well… there might be a few pressure points that get pushed or relaxed that help her get through labor.

And well… Youko has her own stretches to do, but it's more fun to copy Yume at the moment.

"Didn't Mihara-sensei give you your own stretches to do?" Yume asks, amusement clear on her face, even as she grimaces with effort.

Youko tries to shrug, but the attempted motion only results in her toppling over in a strange, one-person mess of limbs and wild hair. She grumbles something into the floor, prompting Yume to let out a short laugh.

"Now now, dearie. You were the one who wanted to do gymnastics and dancing in the first place - at the same time, too. You need to be flexible for both".

"But I already known my stretches mom! I wanna learn yours now!" She whines, scrambling to get back up and try again. She will succeed at this!

"You have to do more than just know them, chibi," Yume gently scolds, moving into a new position. "You need to practice, practice and practice until you can do them smoothly. Until they become second nature. Until you can do them without breaking a sweat".

"How do you know so much about gymnastics mom? Did you learn it when you were a kid?"

Her mother laughs. "Heavens, no! I was terrible at sports," she turns her head to smile at Youko. "But your aunt Shizukana did, and I learned a lot about technique from her, just by watching".

Youko blinks slowly before whipping her head around, thus toppling over again, to stare at Yume. "I have an aunt, mommy!?"

"Where is she? What's she like? Do you look alike? Do I have cousins? Why haven't I met her yet?" She shoots questions off rapid fire, eager to learn more about her family.

Yume sighs and uncurls from her position, most likely realizing that she won't get anymore stretching done. Instead she leans against the couch and holds her arms out in invitation. Youko happily complies and makes herself comfy in her mom's arms. "Yeah, you have an aunt. My sister, Shizukana or Kana-chan," the woman rests her chin on Youko's head. "To picture her, just imagine me, but with long hair. She was the older one by 10 minutes only, and she was my best friend for a long as I can remember, even if we were vastly different in personality".

"Where is she now mommy? If you're best friends…..why haven't we seen her?" She asks hesitantly, not to wanting to ask something that'll make her mom sad.

Another long sigh. Melancholy. "When we were around 19, while she was at a gymnastics tournament, she met… some guy," there's bitterness in her voice. "I think his name was Kaname. I don't remember his last name. And well… she fell in love with him. Almost frighteningly quickly".

Yume goes off into a tale that is both horrifying and tragic, and while Youko is sure a lot of it has been made child-friendly for her, she's not spared any details, either. She has a feeling there's going to be a very telling moral to this tale.

"Kaname's family was well-off," she says. "Not the biggest sharks in the water, but still pretty influential. Claiming to have roots in the old clans of the feudal era. And they did _not_ like Kana-chan. The fact that she was an olympic medalist in gymnastics didn't matter to them. It mattered more that she was from a middle class family and not as traditional as they wanted her to be. And, well… between the two of us?" Yume looks into Youko's eyes, dead serious. "I don't think Kaname cared all that much for Shizukana the person, and more for Shizukana the trophy wife. A little doll to brag about and display".

Youko shivers as her mother just holds her closer, cuddling up under her chin. Yeah… this isn't a fun tale. "I watched my sister change, ever so slowly, from a fun-loving and outgoing champion to… to someone that wasn't _her_. Until she became someone who fit the ideals of Kaname's family and lived to please them. Until she wasn't my Kana-chan anymore".

Silence fills the air as the two just sit there, taking everything in and finding comfort in each other. Youko tries to process the situation, tries to _understand_ it, but even with her adult mind, it's a difficult concept to grasp.

"I'm sorry Mommy." She says finally and gives Yume a hug. "I'm sorry that you had to watch and go through that."

"My sweet, compassionate, little girl," Yume gives her a watery smile. "Don't worry about me. Besides… I have a bit more to tell you. You see… you _do_ have at least one cousin".

"Really!? I do! What's their name? How old are they!?" Youko asks excitedly, thrilled with the thought of more family.

"Well, it's a boy… but I don't know his name," Yume bows her head, as if ashamed at this reveal. "The last thing I ever heard from her was that she had given birth to a son, but that was it. And the last thing I ever told her about was being pregnant with you. Never got a response".

Youko's face falls as quickly as the dread in her stomach. "What happened?"

Yume's voice is bitter when she next says: "Kaname's family, most likely. See, in the end, they - particularly his parents - gave her an ultimatum. _Them_ or… us," she sighs. "They didn't like having so much contact with us mere commoners, and she was so blinded by her supposed love for Kaname that in the end… she chose _them_ ".

"...oh…..I'm sorry….." Youko says quietly, feeling a deep sadness for her mother and the loss of her family that she'll never get to know most likely.

Yume shrugs and runs her hands through Youko's hair, calmly petting it. "There's nothing for you to be sorry about, honey. I guess…" another sigh "I could've done more to contact her. Kept calling, kept sending letters… but I just got tired of yelling at a wall and getting no answers. If anything, it's her loss - she's never gotten to meet her little copy, personality wise".

The last is meant as light-hearted teasing, but Youko can't help but be sad for her mother. 4-5 years… that's a lot of time with no contact, when you think about it.

She can't imagine what it's like but…..she can of she thinks too much about it. It's been that long since she was in contact with…..anyone from before. She shakes her head roughly and shoves the thoughts away.

"Maybe we can try to find them again! Try to get back in touch! It wouldn't hurt to try right mom?"

Silence falls between them. Then, much to Youko's surprise, Yume shakes her head. "No… maybe… I don't know anymore. I'm tired, sweetheart".

"Well…..I'll still try!" Youko says with strong determination. "Family is family. And I wanna know mine."

"As is your right. You deserve to know them, and I have been thinking of giving it another try… I just don't know if their address or phone number is even still the same," her mother agrees.

"It's a start though."

A kiss falls on Youko's head, before she is finally nudged off Yume's lap. "Come on, Youko-chan. Let's see what we can find".

She grins brightly. "Yeah!"

Grandpa later finds them in the back of his shop in a corner that had been used for storage of Yume's personal papers. It's a mess of dust and piles of papers and old books and much more.

"And what are my two favorite ladies doing back here in this dirty place?" He asks with a jovial grin and cleaning supplies in one arm and snacks in the other.

"Looking for things about Aunt Kana!" Youko says cheerfully.

"And learning about all the shenanigans and things the children have been up to and learning." Yume adds with a small smile while carefully extracting the cleaning supplies from Solomon's arms. "I didn't know you'd been teaching them ancient Egyptian and Latin".

"It's just a little something," he grabs a cloth and starts dusting off one of the shelves. "They were curious, and well… what harm can it do?" He chuckles in amusement. "I will make archaeologists out of them sooner or later, just you wait!"

"Grandpa was also telling us all about Egypt and its history! All the rituals, and beliefs, and how they lived! It's so cool!" Youko chimes in from somewhere behind a mountain of boxes and items.

Yume's smile is warm. "Yeah, that's certainly Shizukana's enthusiasm right there. That or your grandfather's".

"Maybe it's both mama."

It's such a nice, warm moment. It makes her feel all fuzzy and happy inside. Emotions Youko had been close to forgetting how to feel, lost as she was in her own apathy and bitterness.

But then… then her friends had come into her life, slowly teaching her how to warm up again. And now… even as she knows what her destiny has become and what lies ahead of her… she feels so much love and happiness that she's about ready to burst.

Attending dancing classes with Tea and Hinata on Wednesday afternoons and gymnastics on Fridays where Tristan joins in. (Joey isn't allowed, much to their collective disappointment. His father, apparently, doesn't think boys should do gymnastics. But they still show him all they've learned each day so he can practice and learn himself.) Then there are the free swimming lessons in Domino City Sports Centre every Sunday morning, which they all attend - they're learning everything from the breaststroke and crawling to basic diving jumps.

And finally, she has basic violin lessons with Suzuki every Tuesday morning before she opens for her regular students. She also receives voice lessons along with her friends, but the violin is the one thing she does all on her own. Her "specialty", as they've come to call the things they learn a little extra of on their own. (Tea has flower arrangement and language, Hinata has baking, Tristan has baseball and Joey… Joey's fallen in love with martial arts. Both the ones relying on hand-to-hand, like Aikido and Karate, but also Kendo and other types relying on melee weapons).

Where it's possible, they each teach the others about their specialties. It's more difficult for Youko to teach the other about violins when they don't play themselves, but she can teach them how to read sheet music and add to their voice lessons. And they all have voice lessons and are each getting interested in their own instruments.

Add to that the lessons on history, archaeology and language they get with Solomon… they're all shaping up to be a bunch of well-educated kids, even before hitting primary school.

Youko tells her mom about all of this throughout that one incredibly fun afternoon. Tells her of all of their little adventures, funny stories she might have forgotten to tell and the like. In return, Yume tells Youko all sorts of tales from when she was young. Of her sister Shizukana, of how awkward her early relationship with Yakumo was, of the day she was born…. Now and then Grandpa adds in with his own anecdotes and stories of his journeys across the globe.

The icing on the cake is Yakumo coming home early and joining them with exaggerated tales of his work at the office. Of their pranks on each other and the like.

It's a good day. A wonderful day.

Youko falls asleep that night with a smile on her lip and a frail hope that everything is going to be alright in the end.

* * *

"Uhm… Bakura-san?"

Osamu looks up from where he's been lighting a cigarette, only to see one of his fellow professors staring at him with a strange look on his face. He takes a drawn of the thing and slowly lets the smoke out. "What is it, Uzu?"

"You're smoking," is the answer he gets, the man sounding like it's the strangest thing he's ever seen.

Osamu snorts. "Yeah? So?"

Uzu keeps staring at him.

"...You don't smoke though. You've always fought for no-smoking policies ever since you entered the staff".

Taking another draw, Osamu just stares at him.

"Shit happens Uzu. Things change. It was either this or drinking."

There's an awkward silence between them. Uzu staring, Osamu smoking.

"...are you okay Bakura-san? Has something happened?"

" _No, I'm not okay. My wife is a mom-zilla, I'm getting a child I don't want and my youngest daughter is fucking creepy!"_ He thinks, wanting to scream it, but knows it won't do him any good.

"It's not any of your business, Uzu," he says instead, throwing the finished roll of tobacco and paper to the ground and stepping on it.

"Well….is there anything I can do for you? You know we're all here for you. We're all colleagues..."

Osamu allows a faint growl to escape him. "I _said_ it's not any of your damn business, Uzu. That means you _leave it alone_ ".

He looks at his watch, irritable and irrationally angry. "I've got to go. Got a class to teach in 15 minutes. Don't you have a job to do, too, Uzu?"

"Er….yes. I do. I- my apologies for bothering you."

He doesn't respond. He just keeps walking.

He knows his behavior is unhealthy. He knows he's slowly going to a place he can't return from.

The part of him that cared about any of that has already gone there. He's in too deep on that front.

But he'll be good so long as he can keep up appearances. Go to work, teach, research broken pots, write reports… go home, kiss the wife on the cheek, interact a bit with his kids… sleep.

Between all of that, go to the library in secret and read up on spirits and demons…

Look at him. He sounds like a madman. Like a man having a secret hobby. Like….like his priestess grandmother. Maybe he should take off during the holiday that's coming up, go visit one of the temples….

Say he's got an out-of-town thing to go to… yeah, that could work.

If he does a it of research on the buildings while he's at it, well… that wouldn't make it a totally useless trip, either.

Afterall, demons don't exist. Nope. He's just _examining_ a few things to be on the safe side.

And Marie would probably love a few wards for the house. She's willing to believe anything these days, so far gone in her baby-mania.

She already believed his lie about Uzu being the one starting smoking and the smell transferring to him, because they're working on some big project together… why wouldn't she believe another little lie about a work-related trip and any wards he may or may not buy to protect hi- _them_ selves against demons?

Not that he- _they_ have anything to fear. Not at all. Hinata isn't a demon, the thought is _absurd_.

They don't exist, they _don't_.

* * *

Yume feels sick, feels weak. Her heart is racing and her mind is blank.

"I'm sorry….. _what_ …..can you repeat that please?"

The doctor sighs, looking into her eyes. "I'm sorry, Mutou-san, but… I'm afraid that we've discovered a bit of an… issue".

* * *

A/N:

And after so long, welcome back my duckies to Caught in the Game!

Sorry for being away for so long and not telling you. Nordic and I both had family vacations that we went on. Then I've had work to do, (those student loans and other bills aren't going to pay themselves after all), plus some family issues that have been going on. Luckily things are looking better and dying down it seems.

So this chapter we have family bonding times. Getting to know and get closer each other. Happy mother-daughter bonding! Yay! And even better! Yakumo making an effort to learn about Youko and bond with her! We also see Osamu slowly losing it and spiraling out of control.

And what's this!? Bad news for Yume! What is it!? What's going to happen!? You'll all have to wait to find out! *cackles maniacally*

Not much else to say or that I can think of really….

Shoutout to all of the people who viewed and all of our current followers and faves and our new followers and favorites (Stuffed Piggy, usagi-no-usotsuki, chibichibi98, Reina Cleroux, robertastarcris11, Spiteful Elegance, amazingturtle, selen123, utubeforway, TiamatisObscure, and goddessa39.)

And EXTRA thank yous to usagi-no-usotsuki for the review!

Please, _PLEASE_ leave us comments and reviews, especially if you have any questions or are confused! We love them so much and are more than happy to explain things to you guys. They give us motivation and such happiness. :3

Thanks again to the amazingly talented and lovely Moirei for Beta-ing for us, as always :)

That's it for this time, so thanks again for reading my duckies and we'll see you all next time on Caught in the Game!

Counting Sinful Stars

 _A/N: And we're back! After a little more than a month, "Caught in the Game" is back in business!_

 _In short, what happened was that we both went away on trips or vacation throughout the entirety of July, and I was without a stable internet connection for two weeks - only got back a few days ago - so there was little time or option for me to write. (It was horrible in that I couldn't really talk to CSS or my other online friends, but wonderful because it was so relaxing to go off the grid for a bit)._

 _So! This chapter was originally going to be from the dads' POV, but we got stuck on that and changed the idea. Instead we get mother-daughter bonding and more on what the kids are up to, Osamu's sinking further into madness and… what's this with Yume, now? What is that nasty cliffhanger doing there?!_

 _Guess you'll just have to find out next time~_

 _NordicTwin_

 **Edited/Beta by Moirei**

 **Finished & Published August** **3, 2017**


	10. Equivalent Exchange (Collapse Arc)

**Chapter 9- Equivalent Exchange**

 _Collapse Arc - part 1._

 _ **Warnings: This is mostly for the ffnet people where there are no such things as tags to warn people of triggers, but this chapter contains mentions/instances of: death/dying, cancer, premature birth and families falling apart. It also shows different stages of mourning and how loss can affect people in different ways, some way more extreme than others.**_

 _ **Yes. We hate ourselves too. But this had to be done. No matter how much we kept trying to put it off and stall.**_

 _ **Ready your tissues and something fluffy and happy to read after this, because if you are anything like us while writing this, there will be crying!**_

 _ **Good luck!**_

 _ **-NordicTwin and Counting-Sinful-Stars.**_

* * *

Cancer.

The word repeats over and over in her mind, running rampant until it is all she hears, all she knows.

Cancer.

 _She has cancer._

How had she not- how could it-?

She'd just thought the fatigue and the aching in her body were caused by the developing pregnancy. Thought that everything was going to be fine - she just needed some medicine.

Everything was fine that morning.

Now here she is, seated on a bench in a park by the hospital, unable to even move.

 _Someone is going to die_.

Such was the ultimatum given to her by the doctor. Or the prediction. The treatment that can save her will hurt her baby… with high probability of killing it before it even left her.

The doctor recommended she induce a miscarriage and try again once she was better. But…

She thinks of Youko's excitement. How much more alive she seems, now that there's a new sibling on the way. How loving and protecting she already is. She thinks of how Solomon proudly boasts to anybody who'll listen how he's going to be a grandfather again, and how Yakumo has been making an effort to be more home these days, preparing himself for fatherhood again.

Most of all, she thinks of the precious little life already growing inside of her. Of all the dreams she's already had. Of how much she already loves this unborn child.

" _Was there ever really a choice?"_ She thinks, heartbroken and destroyed.

Tears fall freely from her eyes, soaking into her skirt. She doesn't even bother to hide them, despite the fact that she's making a scene in public. This place is close to a hospital - people will just have to bear it.

She feels selfish. _So incredibly selfish_. To let her children grow up without a mother…

But they'll be fine. They'll have Yakumo and Solomon and Marie and Anzu and all of the others.

They'll take care of them. They'll look out for them all. They will hurt for some time… she worries the most about how Youko is going to cope, but her girl is strong. She's smart. She's brave. And she knows that Youko and everyone will make sure the baby will grow up loved and never not know who she is.

She will be okay without her.

 _They_ will be okay without her.

 _They have to be._

* * *

Youko is 4 years old when her baby brother is born. (The pure relief she feels at knowing she hadn't taken his life is overwhelming.)

Mutou Yugi.

Her new, precious baby brother.

Her heart is ready to burst at the news.

He's so tiny and fragile. Born premature by a few months, but he's strong and healthy.

It's a happy, joy filled day when he's born. Their whole family is there, both blood and adopted. They've got such a large and happy family.

It had been a day like any other. A lazy Sunday, as rare as that is in the Mutou home. She had been practicing her violin, very careful to not make any hideous scratching noises. Grandpa had been reading something… an anthology of some sort. And her father and mother had been on the couch, him rubbing her feet gently to ease the swelling.

Then, out of the blue, her mom's eyes had just widened and she'd whispered: "It's time".

They hadn't needed any clarification as to what "time" she was referring to.

Youko had gleefully whooped and carefully put her violin away before rushing to grab the prepacked bags and all the things they had prepared just for this moment.

Grandpa has laughed joyfully and gotten up to make the needed phone calls and then helped get her and everything ready to go while her father helped her mom up.

"It's too early!" Yume moans in agony, her voice frantic. "Two months at most. Yakumo, what if something is wrong with my baby?!"

Youko freezes when she realizes her mom is right, that it _is_ too early for the baby to come. Worry and fear start to blossom in her chest. "They'll be alright though, won't they grandpa?" She asks desperately, turning towards the man. "The doctors, the medicine we have today, there's no worry right?"

Grandpa pats her head calmly. "Easy now, both of you. Everything's going to be fine. You'll see, the little one is probably just determined to be older than the next Bakura child or eager to enjoy the summer with its Nee-chan," he ends on a merry laugh.

That calms both Mutou women down. (Well, one woman and one girl).

It's a flurry of chaos after that.

Almost everyone is there by the time they reach the hospital. Even Sally Wheeler had showed up with her own massive stomach and an eager Joey, though Sally herself leaves rather quickly after gifting Yume with a small bundle of daisies, once again putting Joey in their care for the remainder of the day.

The only ones missing are Osamu (who's on _another_ business trip), Mr. Taylor, and Mrs. Gardner. The latter two who are simply finishing up work and then heading over as soon as they can.

After the initial chaos, though… things calm down a bit. Grandpa takes them to the nearby park for a bit of a break, if only for a short bit since Youko is determined to be just outside the door when her new sibling is brought into the world. The others understand. They want to be there, too.

"Are you excited?" Hinata asks her when they're alone for a moment.

Youko just grins in complete glee. "Of course! It's not every day you become a Nee-sama. I just can't wait! Oh Hinata, I never thought I'd get to become a sister and an aunt one day".

Hinata smiles broadly at her and gives her a tight hug. "Well you do now. Just wait a little longer Youko."

A little longer turns out to be 4 hours. But when they're done, her new baby brother is there and everyone is crowded into the tiny room to see their newest family member.

He's in an incubator when they first see him. A tiny, pink thing with a generous pile of startling red on top of his head

"Why's he in the box?" Joey asks as the children are all held up by the adults to see him better.

"It's an incubator Jo, it's like for the chickens at the farm. It keeps him warm and lets the doctors monitor him. He came early so they want to make sure he's healthy." Youko explains before the doctor or anyone else can answer.

The doctor blinks in surprise. Then he laughs. "You've got a clever girl, Mutou-san," he says to her mother. "There could be a bright future in medicine in store for this little one".

He then pats her head, and she fights the urge to shake him off. Her mother just smiles warmly.

"She is… I'm so proud of her. Her and all of her little friends, too. They'll be so good to Yugi-chan and protect him".

 _Protect…_

Yes. She'll protect him.

"I'll be the best Nee-chan in the world!" She declares proudly.

Even if Hinata (exaggeratedly) argues that title clearly belongs to Amane already and will later be her title instead, it doesn't change Youko's determination.

She is Mutou Youko, big sister of Mutou Yugi.

And she will protect him.

* * *

It's July 7th and Shizukana has a feeling this day is going to be her last amongst the living.

She hadn't wanted it to end like this. _It wasn't supposed to be like this_.

But it was. _It is_.

Her, alone, in a hospital room, save for the nurse sitting at her side, clutching a dark-haired baby against her chest.

She wishes Kaname was with her, but he has taken Seto off to eat, then they'll be back. (None of his relatives had the time to watch their eldest child).

 _She hopes they'll be back soon._

Shizukana doesn't really know the details of her condition. Hadn't had the strength to listen when they were told to her. She just knows that she's running on borrowed time. Time that soon has to be paid back.

She holds the child in her arms closer, but she doesn't cry. Won't cry. It'd disturb him, and he looks so peaceful in his sleep.

Her little Mokuba.

It's funny… she'd always thought she'd live her life and die with no regrets. But now that her life is suddenly cut so short… she finds that the regrets far outnumber anything else.

Abandoning her family in favor of Kaname's is, by far, the biggest one.

Giving up who she was, her dreams and passion is the next one.

Let it be known that she doesn't regret her children. She could never do that. After knowing little Mokuba for just a sparse few hours she already loves him so much that it hurts. And Seto who is already so smart. Her little genius who has shown her nothing but devotion.

But she regrets what she had to do to get them. And that stings, because it feels a lot like regretting them as well.

Her breathing slows, breath by breath. She's tired.

She misses Yume….

"Sister… I'm so sorry. Please. Please forgive me," she whispers into Mokuba's little tuft of hair, taking in the feel of it, the feel of _him_.

She wonders what her niece or nephew is like. Wonders what her brother-in-law does…..so many regrets. So much missed. So much lost.

 _It's not fair. Can't she please try again? Just a little more time?_

 _Just… a little… more…_

She closes her eyes.

Just a….short nap. She'll be up in time to see Seto again and see his reaction to his new baby brother.

To tell him she loves him. That she didn't want to… go…

There's a frantic beeping somewhere. Someone is shouting and the warmth against her chest is removed.

Why…?

It's cold…

She's so… tired…

.

.

.

 _I'm sorry._

 _._

 _._

 _._

 _I love you._

.

.

.

" _ **Mommy?!"**_

* * *

Initial complications aside, Yugi is a perfectly healthy baby, and Youko is thrilled on the day she gets him home.

She uses every opportunity to hold and care for him that she can, even going as far as to not let her father or grandpa do anything. Luckily they find it adorable and sweet. And since Yugi is a newborn and she's _only_ four, her mama is always around too. So she gets to spend even _more_ time with her, and that makes it all the better.

She feels so happy. So protective. So safe and loved. And she wants to make sure that Yugi feels that same love. One similar to the love she felt after she'd screamed her lungs out and destroyed her vocal chords, but better, because there's not the same kind of worry attached to the love given to her.

Of course there's worry in their lives since he was born too early… but Yugi develops nicely and is healthy as can be. That's what the doctors and nurses tell them, anyways.

Youko chooses wisely to ignore the heavy weight of destiny that lies upon his tiny, almost non-existent shoulders.

Of course… then she goes and gets sick again.

It really isn't as bad as it could be, but it's enough to knock her (and Hinata, who is somehow always sick at the same time) out for a week or so, which she spends in the Taylor home. (Marie has become a little… paranoid, when it comes to viruses and bacteria right before coming giving birth, so they're taken in by Suzuki).

Youko is sad to be away from her baby brother, but… she acknowledges that it's probably for the best for all of the involved. And her mama is never alone. She's got Grandpa and her father to help her.

Much to her annoyance, though, it's during this one week of illness in July that little Serenity Wheeler is born. Joey visits them on their sick beds (futons in the Taylor guestroom) and proudly tells of how cute she is and how small her hands are and how much noise she makes, but it's okay, because he loves her SO MUCH! He also brings news of Yugi, just for Youko (see, this is why he's her best friend after Hinata, he's a gem, a pure angel walking on Earth, precious cinnamon roll) though he has a terrible habit of claiming that Serenity is cuter than her sweet Yugi-chan. The audacity! The nerve!

"At least Yu-chan doesn't cry at all," she manages to quip through her sore throat.

Hinata coughs out that they're both going to end up wrong, anyways, because her baby sibling is going to be the absolute cutest out of all of them!

Youko (weakly) smacks Hinata's face with the edge of her blanket for that comment.

It devolves from there as they fall into harmless bickering of whose sibling is the cutest. Tristan falls victim to them later on when all three turn to him and demand who he thinks is the cutest baby sibling. He ruins the argument by declaring Hinata to be the cutest one, since he's only met Yugi twice and he'd been sleeping both times, he's yet to meet Serenity and Hinata's younger sibling wasn't even born yet - but, he argued, since Hinata herself is a younger sibling and he knows her well, he felt safe in saying that she was the cutest.

Youko finds herself beaten by kid-logic.

She decides to take a nap out of pure frustration.

She also decides that she's not letting Hinata or Tristan live this down. Ever.

A week later finds Youko back in the safety of her grandpa's, mother's and baby brother's company and everything is as usual, despite her having missed an entire week of watching Yugi grow.

She can't help the snicker that escapes her when she spots the vague beginnings of his oh so iconic starfish hair.

"Yu-chan is gonna look like Grandpa and papa!" She declares with a bright grin.

Oh her poor precious brother...Better him than her though. She's seen the genderbend fanart of him and the Pharaoh and all the different hairstyle possibilities for them. She got _very_ lucky with her hairstyle, even if she's still getting the multicoloring. (At least the black and red are blended nicely into each other and not quite as purple-ish as Yugi's current tuft looks).

Her mother, though… her mother looks more tired than the last time she saw her.

Youko knows taking care of a newborn baby is a hassle. She knows it's difficult. But… most of the time Yugi is quiet as a mouse, only crying when he absolutely has to. He's barely more than a month old, and he's already so expressive.

Surely a week without Youko's "assistance" (she can't do much when she's still so tiny) couldn't have done such a number on her? But when Youko asks, Yume just smiles and tells her not to worry and that she'll be fine.

"It's just this sore back, you know, my little sunshine?" She says with a smile. "Yugi's such an eager eater, and he loves to lay in my arms. It's harsh on mama's back".

Youko frowns, she's not versed enough and knows women are all different in their experiences, so her mom could be telling the truth, but this nagging little voice is telling her she's lying. Her mama must be not getting enough sleep since she left, she'll have to fix that and help as much as she can.

And so she does. By being the one to check on Yugi at night, to feed and change him. When he's fussy she sings to him, tells him stories and of the things she and the others have done. And when after a few days of this, her mother looks more rested and better, she feels relieved.

(Grandpa helps her, of course. He didn't even try to scold her when he caught her that first night, he just gently instructs her on what to do and heats the formula for her).

She takes to reading and talking to Yugi as much as she can, even explaining what she's doing when she's helping out around the house. Little tutorials on how to sweep and how to fluff a pillow. Things like that.

Yugi himself is just a delightful baby to be around. When he's not asleep, he's just calmly looking around. Even if Youko's pretty sure he can't see things clearly, yet, she wants to believe that he's following the movements of whomever is closest to him. He doesn't cry much - unless things are too hectic around him, he mostly just whimpers a little.

He's also good for business. Grandpa takes up the same thing he did with her (or so she is told) and brings him down to the shop whenever he's the one watching him. They see an increase in purchases, and many people stop by simply to say hello to Yugi.

Her baby brother couldn't possibly get even cuter.

Then September rolls around and Ryouichi "Ryou" Bakura is born, and all cuteness is tripled because they bring all of the new babies together - even Serenity Wheeler (much to the chagrin of both Marie and Sally, but they can't judge the children based on the parents - that'd be cruel).

Everyone is excited for the babies.

The older kids argue good naturedly about who is the best older sibling or whose sibling is the cutest.

Life is good.

They're all happy and healthy. The babies are all here now, everything is _perfect_.

* * *

Youko and Yugi Mutou are 4 ¾ years and 3 months old when their mother dies on a cold September afternoon.

They hadn't even known she was sick until it was too late. She had just… gone to sleep, taking a nap with Youko in her arms and Yugi in the crib next to them. They had been planning dinner, talking of things they would do with Yugi in the future. They had started getting sleepy, Yume had asked Youko to sing her and Yugi a song. They had sung together until Yume had fallen asleep, Youko shortly thereafter.

Youko had awoken to find herself in her grandfather's arms, sitting in his favorite armchair, looking at the rain falling outside. Her brother is bundled up in a little basket on the couch.

She'd been confused at first. Hadn't she just been with her mama? And why did her grandpa look so sad? What were those noises? It sounded a lot like an am… bu…

"Where's mommy?"

Her grandfather just looks at her with the saddest expression she's ever seen, even when she was still so angry and screaming.

"Youko… do you know what cancer is?"

Her blood goes cold in her veins. She can't breathe. Can't move. But she has to. She must-

"No…..no…... _NO!"_ She starts shrieking and crying. Screaming. She flails and struggles against his hold on her.

Grandpa's arms wrap around her and hold her close to his chest, shielding her from the bright colours of the paramedics' suits. But she can still hear, can still glimpse, the gurney that leaves her home. _That takes away the one who made it a home_.

She _shrieks_ loudly, hysterically. Screaming, wailing and crying to the gods.

" _They can't do this!"_

" _How dare they!?"_

" _This wasn't supposed to happen!"_

" _No! No! No! Not again! Please don't take them away from me again!"_

" _She was supposed to live! Don't take her away from me! Don't take her from us!"_

It takes hours before she tires herself, before she calms down. And it's only because Yugi wakes and needs to be fed and changed. She clutches him like a lifeline, refusing to let anyone near him.

The only one to have known in their family aside from Yume herself had been Grandpa who'd found her crying over Yugi's crib when Youko had been sick and had gotten her to tell him what was wrong. So when he'd found her "sleeping" with the children, pale and cold, he had known and called the emergency room.

He had sworn to secrecy about her condition. He later tells her that it pained him to do so every day, still does, but he did not have it in himself to deny a dying woman her final, selfish wish.

She doesn't say anything in response.

Yakumo arrives late in the night on that same day, having rushed home from a business trip in Hokkaido the second he got the news. He holds Youko close and cries and cries and cries.

She does not respond. Just holds him tightly and rubs soothing circles on his shoulders.

She is cold. Numb.

 _As dead as her mother, as_ _ **both**_ _of her mothers._

Not long after in that late evening, Solomon makes the calls to the rest of their family, and within the hour they've all gathered in the house.

The kids are still so young that they don't quite understand that Aunt Yume is fully gone yet. The adults all hold each other and cry though. Hinata moves to sit next to Youko, taking her hand into hers and holding it tightly. She doesn't say anything, just offers silent comfort and support.

Youko is just as silent. The only thing that reveals that she's even registered anything is a lone, solitary tear running down her face.

She will not cry. No more tears, she vows to herself.

On the day of the funeral, it's bright and sunny. Youko hates it. Curses the gods because this isn't _right_. It should be raining. No, they shouldn't even _be_ there, Yume should be _alive_. Her mother should be there. She was supposed to live! She clutches Yugi close as they all stand there. She registers nothing but the pain she feels and her baby brother's heartbeat.

Marie and all the other moms had tried to take him home, to care for him, but she had refused. Glaring and snarling at any who tried to come take him from her, even grandpa and Hinata were not spared.

" _ **He's mine! Nobody will take him from me, nobody will hurt him!"**_ She hisses in her mind, in a language that is foreign to her in both this life and the next.

Inside of her, something is released. Something grows. She just doesn't know it yet.

" _ **Ours,"**_ it whispers in her mind, even as she remains silent and cold to the world.

Oh, they try to speak to her. Try to get her to speak. To _do_ something that isn't just autopilot. Anything.

The only ones who don't and are just there for her are Joey and Hinata, and surprisingly, Yakumo.

Eventually they are the only ones who she lets hold or care for Yugi. When she needs to eat, sleep, bathe, or use the restroom.

Aside from maybe grandpa, but she's iffy about him, even weeks later.

She feels hurt and betrayed. She understands why he did what he did, and she forgives him mostly. That doesn't mean it doesn't _hurt_.

Hinata approaches her one day, almost two months after her mother's funeral, while she's just… sitting on the floor, watching Yugi as he's asleep in a little make-shift crib that has been set up so she can watch him _everywhere_. Looks at her with an expression that is carefully neutral and guarded.

"I know you're in pain. I know your grief. But this has to stop, Youko," she says calmly. "Please, don't shut us all out. _Don't make the same mistake I did back then._ "

She turns around to look out of the window. On the lawn beneath them their friends have gathered.

"We may not be hurting as much as you are, but we are hurting, please don't push us away. Please, mourn with us. We want to be there for you, please let us…."

"This wasn't supposed to _happen."_ Youko finally whispers, voice rough from disuse. "She was _supposed_ to _live_."

"We can't know that for sure," Hinata whispers back. "We can't know if she got sick and lived in that world, when _we_ weren't _there._ "

"She should have told us…..I should have spent more time with her…...Let her spend more time with Yugi….."

There is no response to that from her best friend. It's not meant to judge. There are just no words left.

Later on, her grandpa finds her in that same spot Hinata left her and sighs.

"Youko-chan…" he says, his voice broken and heavy with sadness.

She looks at him. Sees the bags under his eyes, the deep sadness that does not belong in eyes that usually sparkle with happiness and mirth. He sits himself on the couch in front, sighing heavily. "...Hinata said you spoke a little, earlier…..".

She doesn't want to respond. She really doesn't, but… she's tired. So very tired.

She nods.

He sighs again, the sound carrying a note of relief.

"...I'm sorry jiji." She whispers softly. "I didn't want to hurt you….but you hurt me too."

He holds his arms out towards her, not saying anything. It's an offer. An invitation.

She takes it.

She scrambles into his arms and collapses there, clinging tightly to him, and then she cries. She cries and cries and cries until her body feels both light and heavy and her cheeks hurt and there's snot and other gunk all over her Grandpa's shirt. When she's done, she registers the damp spot on her hair from where his own tears have fallen.

No words are needed after that, and all she really wants is a nap. It feels like she hasn't slept properly in ages.

But then Solomon speaks, and her ears lock onto the sound of his voice like a lifeline, because she has a feeling it's important if it'll make him disturb their moment of reconciliation.

"I intended for you to get this when you were older…" he tells her, taking a deep breath. "But you've always been a special child, Little Sun, and these times are special."

Something cold and smooth is pushed into her hands, and her eyes crack open to look at whatever she's been given.

It's the puzzle box.

 _It's the Millennium Puzzle box._

"This is my apology for hurting you. And my gift to you, so you may have something to focus on when the pain is too much." He says softly but firmly, "I had a sudden and heavy feeling that you needed this _now_ instead of later. So please, take what is rightfully yours, my Little Sun. And _please_ , forgive your old and foolish grandfather for hurting you."

She stares, shocked. Because she's 4, not 8. She's getting the puzzle four years earlier than Canon Yugi….

She gingerly takes the box into her hands, and promptly starts to cry again. Because she is suddenly washed over with a feeling of completion, of safety and of protection.

She clutches the box to her chest, curling around it as to let no one take it away from her. He's in there. Her partner, her other half is in there, sleeping. He's so close.

She silently vows to save him from the darkness as soon as she can.

It's with that vow in her heart that she falls asleep in her grandpa's arms, finally feeling safe and like she can start healing again.

She wakes on the couch to the sound of heavy rain and frantic whispers and cutting words.

"...keep…. Down…. Youko…. sleeping…."

"How could… selfish…. Think of… Yume would not… do you even care?!"

"I care…! ….too much… I loved…. I have to..."

" _What's going on?"_ She thinks groggily, rubbing her eyes with one hand while clutching the puzzle box with the other.

"If you cared one bit you wouldn't be standing in front of me with your bags packed, trying to sneak out of that door."

She's suddenly wide awake, her body locks up and it's like when Grandpa told her her mother had died all over again.

No breath, no movements, no thoughts.

But she listens.

 _By god, does she listen_.

"Please, father… I can't stay here. I can't do this anymore. I look everywhere and all I see are ghosts."

"And so your natural choice is to abandon your family, _abandon your children?!_ "

"I'm not-! Okay, maybe, but they have you! They have all of our friends and you to look out for them. There's no need for me. It took me four years to know my own daughter!"

Youko silently gets up and walks towards the door where their voices are.

Her heart is racing, it _aches_.

She doesn't know how much more sorrow she can take.

"And you're just going to throw that all away?! After all you've done to get to know her now?" Grandpa snarls, actually snarls, at Yakumo. "I did _not_ raise a coward or a quitter Yakumo."

"You barely even raised me until I was 10, _father!_ "

"And I spend every day regretting it and trying to make up for it!"

The tension between them is so thick that it could be cut with a chainsaw. Her father is on the doorsteps, two duffel bags at his feet and a hand on the doorknob.

They don't even notice her standing there.

She can't take it anymore and steps forwards, fire in her veins and ice on her tongue. _She's done being cold_. _That_ _**is**_ _Hinata's thing in the end. She is the sun, all heat and flame._

"If you leave…..don't you _dare_ come back you spineless _coward_." She snarls ferociously.

Both men's heads snap to stare at her, shock covering their faces as their anger fades.

She must be a sight to see. A small child with dark bags under her eyes, limp hair, face twisted in anger, clutching a golden box, and fiery, _burning_ eyes.

"Youko-chan…" her father whispers.

"Don't you _fucking_ dare _Yakumo_ , "she cuts him off. "You have _no_ right. Not anymore. Grab your things and _leave_. Don't _look_ back, don't _come_ back."

Something in her snaps when he doesn't.

" _ **GO!"**_ She all but roars. "Run like the coward you are! Scatter like the leaves on the wind and crumble when all of their life is gone! _**May you never find any joy and peace wherever you go!**_ "

The puzzle glows faintly and pulses with power. The eye of Horus appears on her forehead slightly. Not that she knows any of this.

Solomon steps in front of her, the only one to notice, and calmly says: "I think, Yakumo, that you may as well stop by the Gardner law-firm tomorrow and get the papers done. And then _never_ try to contact my children again."

And just like that… Yakumo is gone. The door is left open, sending in a steady stream of cold air, but she doesn't care. Not even when she steps around her grandfather to stand in the doorway, staring blankly after him.

Her father is dead, and the man walking down the street is a stranger to her.

It's quiet. Even as the rain falls down in thick sheets, washing away everything she's ever known, it's quiet.

Grandpa gently pulls her back and closes the door. He looks at her.

"I'm sorry jiji." She whispers, afraid to be any louder. She knows he must be hurting so much, his wife long gone, his beloved daughter-in-law also dead, and now his own son, the last thing of his wife, has abandoned him.

"...go and sleep, Youko," he sighs deeply. "We can talk about all- all of _this_ , in the morning. _And_ where you learned such a crude word, young lady."

His hand runs through her hair once, gently ruffling up her bangs.

She smiles sheepishly up at him before giving him a tight hug, (well. As tight as she can with one arm). "But, Yugi. I need to-..."

"Sleep. You need to sleep, little sunshine. I can take care of baby Yugi tonight. Now go, off to bed with you." He orders firmly.

Well… she can't go against an order like that.

And her body feels oddly heavy, too, even though it's also like it's brimming with energy.

And… her heart hurts. There's such a stinging and burning behind her eyes…

 _Oh…_

She runs off to her room. Even though it's generally discouraged in the house, she runs as fast as her tiny legs can carry her, slam the door behind her and dives for her bed before the tears can get a chance to fall.

She screams.

" _IT'S. NOT. FAIR!"_

* * *

She doesn't know how long she cries. It could be hours, it could be weeks. There is no longer a concept such as time, there is only the darkness of her room and never ending misery.

In a matter of a a few months she's both gained and lost _everything_. Or so it feels.

She and her baby brother live, but her mother is gone, never to return, and her father is a stranger to her heart.

It hurts.

It hurts _so_ much.

She's lost almost everything all over again. But this time she lives to mourn and move on, while _they_ are the ones dead and to be forgotten.

It's not fair.

Why?

 _Why!?_

Why did she have to suffer so much!?

How could the gods _do_ this to her!?

What _did she do_ to deserve such a thing happening?!

She can't breathe.

Everything is swimming.

She feels her rage building. Feels the tears spilling down her cheeks.

She clutches the puzzle box to her chest tightly, clinging to it like a lifeline.

 _ **IT'S NOT FAIR!**_

She wants to- she feels like she could-

 _ **TEAR EVERYTHING APART. SINK INTO THE DARKNESS. CRUSH EVERYTHING THAT STANDS IN HER WAY.**_

She _**screams**_ in sadness, pain, and rage.

Everything _explodes._

Then, from one moment to the next, there is a bright flash, and suddenly she finds herself lifted into arms that are both cold and warm and which smell… odd. Like something spicy and exotic, dust and earth baked dry in the sun, something cold and strange.

"Young Mistress, you must not give in to the Darkness!" Someone says. The voice is unknown. Deep and commanding, while remaining respectful. Almost like an older brother.

Still, this is a stranger, and so she fights. She hisses and claws at what is keeping her still, but the arms hold her more tightly than steel would.

"You must calm yourself, Young Mistress!" The voice demands harshly. "Don't let Darkness into your heart - push it into your hands!"

"Let me go!" She sobs, curling around the puzzle box in her arms. It's suddenly pulses and a calmness washes over her. Like a soft blanket.

There's another voice then. Soft and gentle, similar in tone to how Amane speaks to Hinata. A woman.

"Easy there, Young Mistress. Take a deep breath. Can you be a good girl and breathe for me?"

She gasps, hiccups.

"I'm NOT A CHILD!" She snarls, still sobbing, "let me go! Put me down!"

"With all due respect, Young Mistress, we know that, but well… your body _is_ kind of that of a little kid right now," the woman says, and then there's a soft hand against her cheek. "My, she's a small one, isn't she Master Mahad?"

" _Mahad?"_ She thinks through her rage, confusion sneaking through the cracks in her defenses. " _Wait a second…"_

The man huffs. "Small, but not weak, I'll give her that," his arms loosen around her slightly, but she's still being carried, held against his chest like a small child, a broad hand running gently up and down her back.

She relaxes, because she knows him. Not personally, but she _knows_ him. Knows he will protect her and keep her safe.

She whimpers and curls into his hold, grasping onto him tightly with her free arm.

"Easy now, Young Mistress," the woman says again, and Youko finally opens her eyes to see purple and blue and pink through her watery eyes.

Dark Magician Girl… no… _Mana_ , smiles at her, looking like all is right in the world when it's clearly _not_.

"You gave us quite a scare there, Young Mistress," she says cheerfully. "That could've gone really wrong, you know. It's good that Master Mahad got to you so quickly".

Her breathing slows. Evens out.

She's so… so tired.

But she's got so many _questions_.

She's so scared. She hurts.

Why does she have to lose _so_ much?

Mana's hand lands on her hair, gently running through sweaty bangs and carefully healing up the sore skin under her eyes. "It's going to be okay, Young Mistress. We're here, now. Just sleep".

But… she doesn't _want_ to. She has to- _she needs to-_

"They're _gone_." She whimpers, "it hurts so much. It's not _fair_. Why did they do this?"

Mana hums low in her throat, her eyes soft. "I wish I knew, Young Mistress. My grumpy Master here can probably tell you later, but… you need to sleep first, okay?"

It's a bit of a staring competition between them. Youko's too stubborn to fall asleep when two so _important_ people are _right in front of her._

The spirit sighs. "Fine, then… I guess I'll have to sing you a lullaby. Will you sleep then?"

"No".

That gets a laugh out of Mana. Youko pouts. _She is trying to be serious, here!_

And so Mana sings. And as much as Youko _hates_ it… it works.

"Wandering child of the earth. Do you know just how much you're worth? You have walked this path since your birth. You were destined for more~"

Her eyes get heavy.

"Don't…. don't leave me… _please_." She begs tiredly, clutching at Mahad and the puzzle box.

"I won't," is the short answer she gets. "You will never be alone again, Young Mistress, I will personally see to it. And so will _he_. Now… sleep. Tomorrow is another day, you'll see".

She curls into his embrace and sighs, closing her eyes, "Promise?" She asks.

Before she slips into sleep, she hears his warm voice responds.

"I promise my Queen."

* * *

Mana smiles sadly at the sight of Youko sleeping in Mahad's arms.

She grins cheekily at him when their eyes meet though. "Not get involved huh? Not reveal ourselves for several years yet hmm?"

His face turns red. "Oh, quiet, you!" He hisses. "You should respect your master!"

"Uh huh, I'll try to _Master."_ She says sassily.

He huffs, turning his face away from her. "She was going to _hurt_ herself! Clearly she's more powerful than we expected."

Mana doesn't respond verbally. She just smiles happily and turns her attention on their Young Mistress. "Such a cute child! She'd have fit right in with the Master back then, don't you think?"

"They would have caused _such_ chaos together." Mahad says with weary amusement. "I would have had to keep them in line."

"And she would have pulled you into it with her puppy eyes." Mana answers with a smirk.

A blush stains his cheeks and he looks away with a huff. He doesn't deny it.

She gently strokes Youko's head, only to pull back suddenly with a gasp when the puzzle box _pulses_ and _glows_ with an intense power.

Both Magicians gasp and then smile. Tears well in Mana's eyes.

 _Finally..._

* * *

.

.

.

Somewhere, in a cold, dark place, a light suddenly shines.

It wakens him.

* * *

A/N: Please don't kill us. This hurt us just as much to write as it did for you to read.

Yes. Killing the mom off is a bit cliche. But there's a reason for this chapter title. In canon, all we know is that she had Yugi. For all we know she could have gotten sick and got the treatment for it and lived. But because in this, Youko was born first and pushed Yugi's birth back, it affected that. Equivalent exchange. Youko and Yugi's lives for Yume's. And yes, her choice was selfish but she's only human. And while most would choose the get treatment and lose the baby, I know many woman who would forgo treatment to have the baby and let it live. And so, while it pained us to do it, Yume had to die.

Now I don't know about any of you, but when I saw what Canon Mama Mutou looked like I immediately thought that she looked like Seto. In an eerie kind of way. So I thought (and shared with Nordic) that what if Yugi and the Kaiba brothers are cousins through their mothers? After all, Atem and Set(h) are back in Ancient Egypt so wouldn't that be a big possibility? And thus, Shizukana was born. And died shortly thereafter.

(As our lovely beta Moirei pointed out, we made a few accidental parallels and things that fit so well. Like both the moms dying with a child in their arms, for one. See if you can spot any other things!)

Of course, with all of this angst and pain, we need fluff to help balance it out. And nothing is more fluffy than a baby and baby feels. So we made sure to try and give you a decent amount.

*gasps* what's this!? Grandpa gave Youko the puzzle box early!? YES. (Nordic and I have been absolutely _gleeful_ with this and Mana and Mahad appearing.) As stated before, there will be massive ripple effects from the girls being born. And how they act. Grandpa knows Youko is very smart and special, and with magical (and godly) influence, he knows she would need the puzzle sooner. But just because she has it now, doesn't quite mean she will solve it earlier. (She may but….¯\\_(ツ)_/¯)

Oh. And yes. For those of you who weren't sure or didn't even think of it. It's _always_ been the plan for Youko to receive the puzzle instead of Yugi.

Ngl, Yakumo leaving was just as painful as Yume's death. But we have nothing on Canon Papa Mutou. We don't know if he died or just left them. We didn't want to just kill everyone off (we're _not_ Game of Thrones thank you very much.) if they weren't needed or anything. But yeah, Yakumo left. The pain of his wife's death plus the lack of real solid and strong bonds and connections with others made it the option for him in his mind. It hurts more because he started to actually bond and get to know Youko. And for poor Youko, whose magic had awakened a few months previously, and whom had the puzzle, and was very emotional, well…..unknowingly placing a somewhat benign curse on Yakumo was easy to do. At least it wasn't something worse.

So, in Yugioh there is magic. It's not used or mentioned often really. Here it will be. Magic is somewhat sentient in a way. Uh, can't remember what I was going to say or wanted to mention. I can't do much really, it without giving future stuff away. Anyways, we will come back to this and explain more in future chapters.

Omg. Mahad and Mana! Dark Magician and Dark Magician Girl! They're here! Nordic and I were _giddy_ when we thought of adding them and then writing them in. They're here. And shall remain. The girls are going to need some serious help for what lies ahead. Not gonna say anymore, don't want to spoil stuff. (This is another topic that we will come back to in later chapters)

Yes. Yami is awake! Kind of. He's in that half awake half asleep state. No longer dormant and sealed but not free yet. (We can't wait to expand on this. But _again_ , something we have to wait in talking about until later on.)

So we've had a lot happen this chapter. Many things. Glad you survived. (If just barely) and we hope you're excited for what we've done. (You don't like the changes or it's not canon like? Tough. _Our_ story, _our_ rules, _our_ choices. Screw the canon rules, we're the authors here.)

Shoutout to all of the people who viewed and all of our current followers and faves and our new followers and favorites (Kaiserin Rose, Shadowcynder1830, iniziodellastella, Schizo the Mentally Disturbed, Tsukiko Kaze, ForgivingLesbian, Dementra, and Velzon) And thanks to Flaremage and TeaK7 for the Kudos!

And **EXTRA** thank yous to Keiolsha, Contentkarma347, and Flaremage for the reviews! They made us so happy and giddy! (so this chapter is for you guys!)

Please, _PLEASE_ leave us comments and reviews, especially if you have any questions or are confused! We love them so much and are more than happy to explain things to you guys. They give us motivation and such happiness. :3

Thanks again to the amazingly talented and lovely Moirei for Beta-ing for us, as always :)

So yeah. Just a heads up. More pain and suffering next chapter too…...Fear your authors. We love you. (You're gonna love but hate us _so_ much)

We have a love hate relationship with angst. *sobs* we regret it all…..*cackles maniacally* but we love it _so_ much.

(On a side note, we are also trying to figure out how to set up a blog for CitG on Tumblr. We shall keep you posted on it. It'll be a while though because we aren't savvy with it all and need to find someone to help us set everything up.)

That's all for now, so thanks again for reading my duckies and we'll see you all next time on Caught in the Game!

Counting Sinful Stars

A/N: *Deep breath* Okay, before you guys kill us, let me explain: it had to be done.

We know killing off the mom is a bit of a dirty trick, and maybe it's a cheap option for angst, but… there will always be a price for things that happen. (And Mama Mutou is almost non-existent in canon, anyways, both manga and anime…). And then there's Papa Mutou who isn't even mentioned in the series in the first place. So we thought there'd have to be a reason for that. Some sort of rift caused in the family for him to just not be there anymore. Yume became the unfortunate victim of a cruel twist of fate. (And evil authors).

Second, there's the issue of Shizukana. Yes, she's Seto and Mokuba's mother - Yume's twin sister. Both Stars and I like the headcanon that they're related to the Mutous, but life and choices hit them all in the face and they became estranged or lost contact.

Third: Yugi and Ryou. Of course we didn't just write out those two, we're not that cruel. Instead they're the same age as Mokuba and Serenity. (We may have made her a little younger than in canon - we weren't able to find a canon age or birthday). They're so going to be best friends, all of them - Yugi, Ryou, Serenity and Mokuba. I don't know if this counts as a spoiler, but we've even given their group a little name to distinguish them from the main gang: The Domino Quartet! The Domino Q or DQ for short.

And then there's the magic. All of that will be explained in later chapters, but for now, just be aware that we are going to introduce a new concept: Dad!Mahad. He is going to deny everything, but he's going to dad the hell out of Youko and be fiercely protective of her (and the other kids, really, but mostly Youko). And of course… someone isn't as asleep anymore as he used to be. Not unsealed, but not completely dormant, either.

We hope the fluff in this chapter made up for the pain! Trust me, this is possibly one of the most painful things we've ever written, and we've gone DARK places in our side-projects. We've had to write this in bits because it hurt so much.

As Stars has already mentioned, a lot brilliant parallel things in this were coincidental. We're most likely going to do that again! (Nothing is ever truly planned, just remember that).

Finally, this marks the introduction of named arcs. Or at least an attempt to name our arcs. This is the Collapse Arc. Yes, that means more pain is coming your way. Are we sorry? Hmmm…. No. Not really. Do we regret it? *Laughs through tears* Damn straight we do. Oh god it hurts, make it stop. And we're not done yet, nope! Ahahaha… haha… ha…. *dissolving into tears*

The song Mana sings is "Wanderer's Lullaby" by Adrisaurus on YouTube.

Big thanks to all of our new reviewers, favorites, follows and the like! They never fail to make our days :) (Got our first comment on AO3! Woohoo!)

That's it from me. Tune in next time for Chapter 10: Canon Catches Up!

NordicTwin

 **Edited/Beta by Moirei**

 **Finished & Published August 19, 2017**


	11. Canon Catches Up

**Chapter 10- Canon Catches Up**

 _Okay so we lied a little about the angst and pain. That's next chapter, not this one._

* * *

The day that Mutou Yugi is born, Hinata accepts that she will have Bakura Ryou for a little brother come his birth in September.

The relief both she and Youko feel with Yugi's birth is overwhelming. To know that they hadn't killed the boys or anything was a burden lifted from their shoulders. (Not to mention the joy of living with the knowledge that they're _not_ genderbends of the two).

And while she knows her own future sibling will be adorable, Yugi is one of the cutest babies ever. Getting to hold him and interact with him is a challenge though, because Youko is so protective of him. She barely lets her own parents or grandfather hold him. It's not a surprise though, Youko has been thrilled with the thought of a younger sibling, and now that he's here, well…..no one can fault her for her possessiveness.

Of course, she isn't much different after her own darling brother is born.

It's a strange day, really, and it isn't until much later that she realizes why. (When she is all Ryou has left of biological relatives in the world and a part of her heart freezes over). She hadn't thought much of it at the time, she'd just been excited to meet her brother, but… in hindsight, everything is so much clearer.

Osamu had been acting strange again and muttering to himself, he had gone on _another_ supposed business trip, (how her mother couldn't see his lies and excuses is beyond her) and left without a word. Right before the due date of his own son. (She wasn't surprised really. His behavior and actions over the last several months made his thoughts very clear to her. She just never realized the other reason for his distance until it was too late.)

They're all gathered in the room when Marie announces the name. _Ryouichi_ , like she'd suggested months before. Their _good one_.

He is quickly nicknamed Ryou and everything feels right in the world. Marie weakly jokes about having two near-identical children (Ryou being close to the spitting image of Marie herself, while Hinata has Osamu's features and Marie's colours and Amane being a perfect mix of the two) and for a week or so… everything is good. Just perfect.

They're all happy. One big family. They all get together and have meals, and play days. The kids all brag and play fight over who has the cutest siblings. It's heartwarming. But then….

Then, suddenly… Yume is gone.

And everything shatters.

* * *

It's heartbreaking to watch your best friend mourn and lose herself to the pain of loss. To watch the passionate, sunshine of a girl, who loved all and was so outgoing become a withdraw and silent figure.

To see her _fire_ go out…

Watching Youko pull away from everyone and cling to Yugi, it _hurt_. It hurt to watch her be so emotionless, to watch her be wary of her grandfather (who had _known_ , it turns out. He _knew_ and didn't tell them). To see her refuse to let anyone near Yugi, and it especially hurt to see the once vocal girl become silent like the dead.

Like _she_ once was.

It's not right.

 _At all._

Youko is meant to be _fiery_ and _passionate_. The sun itself. Full of _life_ and _warmth_ and _comfort_. She's not meant to be _cold_ and _dead_. (Really. That's _her_ thing. _Hinata_ is the moon, pure and bright but cold.)

She confronts her on it on a cloudy and grey November day. Because in the end, she's really the best one to do it, and damn it all to hell, she is _not_ going to just stand by and let her best friend suffer and wither away.

"I know you're in pain. I know your grief. But this has to stop, Youko," she says, fighting to keep her voice calm when all she wants to do is cry and beg for whatever has stolen Youko to _give her back_. "Please, don't shut us all out. _Don't make the same mistake I did back then_."

She's sits with Youko for a little while, knowing (hoping really) that it's all up to Youko herself to come back. She's grateful when she finally does speak, even if the words are bitter and broken.

Hinata can only guess at what emotional turmoil she must go through. Mentally, she tries to prepare herself for what might be in store for her own future.

 _Life and loss always go hand in hand, it seems…_

She leaves not long after that. Osamu arrives to take her home. The hand that holds hers is cold and limp, when all she wants is warmth.

The next day, after a restless night of sleep, they all learn that the rainstorm has taken Mutou Yakumo with it to never return again.

* * *

Arriving at your best friends house and learning that she had finally spoken and settled things with her grandfather is a huge relief.

Finding out that your best friends father left, never to return, and gave up his custodial rights of his children to his own father is awful.

"He just-...he just _left_?" She asks in disbelief. "Just like that? How could he _do_ that?"

Youko shrugs helplessly. Anger and tiredness clinging to her body. She looks even more worn and tired than she did yesterday.

They're both hidden away in Youko's bedroom, Grandpa is settling Yugi and Ryou into the crib in the livingroom. Marie is off to attend a school function with Amane.

"He said…" she rasps out with a voice that is more hoarse than usual "that he couldn't handle it, anymore. That he saw ghosts everywhere… and that we didn't need him anyways".

Hinata is furious.

She wants to follow Yakumo wherever he goes and make his life a living hell. Wants to see him destroyed for doing this to her best friend - for breaking a girl who was only _just_ beginning to put herself back together again.

"How dare he!" She hisses through gritted teeth. "Who _does_ that?! What kind of a despicable coward do you have to be to walk out on your own family?!"

Youko shrugs helplessly. "That's what I told him, but… I don't know how much of it went through. I was just… so _angry_ ".

She looks ages older suddenly and drained. The room darkens ever so slightly.

"Forget it. I'm done talking about him. He's dead to me." Youko snaps tiredly. She gets up from the nest they've made in the middle of the floor and grabs something from under her pillow. "I've got something important to show you."

Youko turns around and Hinata notes that she's clutching something tightly to her chest. "It's…." Youko hesitates, like she doesn't want to show what she has.

There's a flash of gold.

" _No… that can't be…"_ Hinata thinks, stunned into silence.

Youko gently releases her hold on the item and holds it out so Hinata can see it fully.

The Millennium puzzle box glistens in the light, it's eye staring at Hinata, taunting her with its mere presence.

"Grandpa….he said….he felt that I _needed_ it now instead of later. I think the gods or something influenced him a bit. But he….he also said it was his apology to me for what he did."

She can only stare in shock and awe at the seemingly innocent box.

"This is…" she trails off quietly. "I have- there are no words… how are we- how are _you_ even…"

Youko pulls it back to her chest, clutching it like a lifeline. "But _wait_ , there's _more.._.." she says wryly with a tired but _excited_ smile.

Hinata blinks. Then she deadpans: "You did not just…Youko, you little shit. Bad Youko".

"My Mistress is indeed a troublemaker, but please refrain from calling her such things Daughter of the Moon." A deep male voice says from behind her.

Years later, she will deny any claims of her screaming and jumping to supposed safety on Youko's dresser while Youko just laughs and laughs and _laughs_ at her misfortune.

Hinata watches in shocked disbelief as Youko scurries to Mahad- the _motherfucking Dark Magician_ \- that is standing behind where Hinata had been sitting, and reaches for him while chastising him for calling her mistress again. With a small, bemused smile he scoops her up into his arms.

Hinata is positive her brain just broke.

"Don't be scared Little Moon! We mean no harm!" A feminine voice suddenly sounds from next to her.

Hinata shrieks again and tumbles down from her perch. She braces for her impact with the ground, only to be caught and held carefully to someone's chest. "Whoa there! You should be more careful Little Moon! That could have been a nasty fall."

She looks up. Blinks. Rubs her eyes, shakes her head.

The illusion is not going away.

She looks down.

She is very much being held in the arms of a girl who's hovering a foot off of the ground. A girl who is _very_ recognizable and very much a certain apprentice of the Dark Magician.

She reaches up to clutch her head. "No…. no, it's too early for this!" She whimpers. "How and why are the Dark Magician and Dark Magician Girl here?"

Youko just shrugs, looking as comfy as ever in Mahad's arms. He's holding her steady and secure, a gentle expression on his face.

Leagues apart from Mana, who is suddenly busy squeezing the life out of Hinata. (Which is totally unfair. What did she do to deserve this?)

"Oh, the little chosen daughter of Khonsu is so cute!" She gushes, hugging Hinata tightly to her chest. "Little Sun is cute, too, but you're like a living piece of the moon itself, Little Moon! Look at you with that snowy hair!"

She is quietly contemplating the consequences of cursing out Mana and if the following regret will be worth it, but then Youko _actually_ lets out a little snort and all wishes of swearing like a sailor go down the drain.

Because that is the first time in months that Youko has shown genuine joy, and she can't take that away from her.

So if being treated like a living teddy bear is what it takes… then she'll grin and bear it.

Still… for all that this is a good development in her best friend… there are questions to be answered.

"As amusing as this is, we need to ask you guys questions. We _need_ answers." Youko says from her place in Mahad's arms.

He nods. "Answers you will get, Children of Sun and Moon, when you _ask_ them".

" _Oh, well, isn't he amusing,"_ Hinata thinks, eyeing the smug smile on the spirit's face. Mana giggles.

Youko huffs and reaches up, grabbing Mahad's cheeks and pulling them apart. "Smart ass. So unbecoming of a _High Priest_." She says sassily.

Mana actually laughs, then. "Awww, you're so cute, Master! I never thought you'd be good with children".

"They are not children," he gets out through gritted teeth, a little spark of something making Youko let go of his cheeks. (She subtly rubs at her hands, like he'd given her a little shock). "I want to make that perfectly clear - we are well aware that the two of you are more than ordinary children".

"That's not going to stop us from treating you like it, though!" Mana says cheerfully.

 _Oh…_

Hinata sees Youko clutch the puzzle box and shrink down and into herself, like she's trying to hide and she squirms in Mahad's arms. Hinata herself feels a sense of dread. How would people react and feel if they knew that the two of them weren't what they seemed?

Mahad sighs and sits down on the edge of Youko's bed. Mana does much the same, though she's still hovering in the air, keeping Hinata securely in her lap. "We won't tell anyone. Not just because we were sworn to secrecy by the gods, but also out of respect for you," he informs them calmly.

"...thank you." Youko mumbles, still having the deer in headlights look on her face.

Hinata feels much the same. It was a shocking message to get, but…

Her heart feels a little lighter, now. Similar to how it felt when she realized Youko was in the same boat as her.

" _We're not alone in this. We're not going to have to fight this battle on our own"_.

It's reassuring. Like she's got a sturdy wall at her back. Youko formed the ground under her feet so she stopped falling through the sky, and now these spirits have put support behind her so she won't be looking around aimlessly.

"Why _us_? Why were _we_ chosen? What do the _gods_ even want us to _do_?" Youko asks, almost commandingly, in a firm voice.

Mana sighs. "The gods didn't choose you. Not… you specifically. There were other candidates, but… the ones who chose you…"

"We were the ones who chose you, my Mistress." Mahad answers when Mana falters. There is a sad, almost angry frown on his face and he looks pained.

Hinata feels her heart stop and dread creep through her body. Youko looks like she feels the same. Shock and something else covering her face.

" _...what?...why?"_ Youko asks in a small voice.

The mage closes his eyes.

"We were approached by the gods when we first… passed over. They told us that if our Pharaoh were ever to best the Thief and banish the Great Evil, someone else would have to step in and help him".

"Ra himself told us that he saw that his Chosen Son would win the battle against the Great Evil, but at the cost of his own happiness," Mana continues the explanation.

"Right. In the can- the original timeline, Ate-the _Pharaoh_ defeats the Great Evil and Akefia. But he goes to the afterlife once everything is done. I think he thought he had to out of obligation. And Akefia just disappeared, which isn't fair. With his life and what happened to him, what the evil did to him. He deserved, they _both_ deserved happiness." Youko says almost absentmindedly. "Really, even At-the Pharaoh shouldn't have had to do what he did. It was his father and Akna-ass who committed the sins. _They_ should pay for what they did, _not_ him. The child should _never_ pay for the sins of the parent."

"Language, Young Mistress," Mahad scolds. "It's below your status".

Youko stares up at Mahad for several moments, "he's a motherfucking, evil asskissing, traitorous son of a bitch." She says with a straight face. "And as for the _Gods_ -" Mahad's hand smacks over Youko's mouth before she can say anymore.

"Well, that's obvious. Never said it wasn't true. But mind that tongue of yours, it's unbecoming of a _Qu- Hikari_ ," he shakes his head. Hinata and Mana both giggle at his expression.

"But to get back on track," Mana interrupts, the mood quickly turning somber again. "Ra, for all that he is detached from the lives of mortals like the rest of them, did not want his Chosen Son to sacrifice even more than he already has. So he made a plan. A plan that will either change nothing or everything".

"I don't get it. Everything worked out mostly in the original ser- timeline. Why bother trying to change things? It could end up worse." Youko says, rubbing her head with a frown.

Hinata sits quietly as Mahad and Mana (try) to explain the reasoning of the gods to them, but there is a lot she doesn't understand.

That is, until Mana says:

"They needed someone of pure heart and strong soul. And because we knew the Pharaoh so well, we were asked to-"

"To choose new bearers of the Puzzle and the Ring," Hinata whispers with growing horror.

"You….. _you_ did this to us?" Youko asks softly, horror and rage coloring her voice. "You- _You_ killed us!? You ripped us from our lives!? Our families!? For what? A small chance that things could _somehow_ be better!?" She snarls, fiery rage coloring her voice as it gets louder.

Darkness flickers around them. The shadows move on their own. The room grows cold. Hinata doesn't know who's doing it, but she doesn't care.

She just feels _cold_.

"No, you don't understand, it's nothing like that," Mana pleads as Mahad throws up a barrier that prevents any shadows from reaching them.

Youko struggles and thrashes in Mahad's arms, fighting to get out of them and away from him.

"We don't want excuses, nor do we care for your explanations," Hinata hisses, struggling in arms that suddenly feel confining instead of comforting.

"We were alive! We had families and our own lives! And you killed us!" Youko roars out struggling harder to escape Mahad's hold, the shadows grow darker, bigger and lash out against the barrier. "We were trapped in darkness, all alone! We weren't given a choice! You TOOK EVERYTHING AWAY FROM US!" She finishes, sobbing as tears roll down her cheeks.

Hinata feels broken. Tired. Tears pool in her own eyes.

"WE DIDN'T KNOW!" Mana cries out, a small blast of light sweeping throughout the room, rendering all still and quiet. Even Youko is frozen in shock.

"We didn't know…" she whispers, something cold dripping onto Hinata's head. _Tears_. "They just told us we had to choose… to find someone who would be worthy of this _gift_ , they called it. Someone with the potential for greatness".

"We never meant for this to happen, we did not know that the gods would do what they did." Mahad murmurs, holding Youko close and rubbing his hand over her back. "We thought that you would be given a choice, time to prepare for everything, anything but what they did. We assumed, and you paid the price. And for that we are _so_ sorry. We will forever bear the guilt and sin of what happened to you both."

It's silent.

No one moves.

Surprisingly… Hinata herself is the first one to break the silence.

By laughing.

It's a cold, humorless thing that creeps up through her throat, reaching maniacal levels. It doesn't feel like _her_ , like _something else_ is doing the laughing, but… it's also so incredibly _satisfying_ to do so. To let go of all of her frustrations and sorrows in _some_ way.

Mana and Mahad look alarmed, worried.

"A gift they called it…" she wheezes out when the laughter finally stops. She's shivering, her body feeling like it's filled with millions of tiny bugs just crawling beneath her skin.

"What utter _bullshit…_ " Youko finishes for her in a angered whisper.

"A sin indeed," Hinata murmurs.

"A crime upon innocents," Youko agrees.

"A _gift?_ To be ripped away from your family and life? To be _murdered_ for _no_ reason? To be forced into a world and life of danger and darkness? Oh _yes_ , that's a _real gift_ alright." Hinata says sarcastically.

They both go quiet.

"...why us?" Youko asks a few moments later. "Out of so many people, out of everyone…..why did you choose _us_?"

"...would you like the truth or a big tale about destiny that would have most children at your supposed age gasping with shock and awe?"

"Mana!"

Mahad's scowl could make paint peel straight off of the wall.

"I'm _not_ in the mood for roundabout answers or silliness or shit. Just give us the goddamn _truth_." Youko snaps, looking just as pissed as she feels.

There's a brief silence.

"We chose you because you both are strong where it matters the most," Mana says, her hands weaving gently through Hinata's hair. "You've both got hearts that are big and willing to welcome others, but you have the skills to see who deserves that welcome and who don't".

"You know when to hold onto your beliefs and when to let go," Mahad says then. "Flexibility is important when it comes to magic, but you also need to have the will to control it".

"You have your own demons to overcome, we'll admit that," are the next whispered words from Mana. "But we sensed in you the compassion to know when to push them aside in order to tend to the needs of others. Some would call that self-sacrificial, but… in this world of give and take, that's needed".

"We searched for a long time in our world and yours. It was luck that we found you." Mahad picks up where Mana stopped. "We sensed the strength of your souls and your potential in many ways. We watched you for a long time, grew to know and care for you both. With you, Youko, we knew you would fit well with our Pharaoh, that you would balance him out and guide him. And we knew with you, Hinata, that you would have the strength and heart to overcome and stand up to the the thief and his darkness."

Then, finally, they both say:

" _We chose you because you are kind. And there is too little kindness in this place"_.

It takes both Hinata and Youko some time to digest the reasons. Hinata can't speak for Youko, but… she still wants to be angry at the spirits and the gods. It's a simmering ember, deep inside her heart. Yet at the same time… aren't they victims of the lies and games of higher powers, too?

"We truly are sorry for how you came here though." Mana says sadly, "We sincerely thought that you would have a choice, that the gods would allow you to prepare for the transition over. We _never_ thought that they would do what they did. And we are _so_ sorry for our role in your suffering."

Hinata sees Youko sigh tiredly and then their eyes lock, and somehow they have a whole conversation in that shared look. Youko nods her head at Hinata, and Hinata nods back.

"...one final question," Hinata says, leaning her head back to look up at Mana, who smiles down at her.

"Ask away, Little Moon!"

" _What are the consequences if we fail?"_

Dead silence.

It's the spirits turn to seemingly have a conversation through looking at each other, expressions slowly becoming more and more pale and horrified as each second passes.

Hinata and Youko share a look of terror and dread.

.

.

.

 _There_ _is always a price to pay._

* * *

After the shock that is the death of Yume, Hinata notices Marie being a little more… clingy. Anxious, maybe. Every activity is done more carefully now, everything is a potential danger.

It's a little, how can she put it… stifling. Or cloying. Because every warning, every little "be careful, sweetheart" is meant with her best intentions in mind. But when Hinata can't even carry a glass of water without being told to be aware of even a loose thread in the carpet, and even then it has to be done while under supervision… that's where she draws a line.

It starts out small. Little things that are easy to dismiss as her regular behavior, if only amplified a little by the presence of a new baby.

But as time passes… it slowly spirals out of control.

The first true clue (or reminder, really, because Marie wasn't well before giving birth to Ryou, and she feels foolish to have believed in a positive change) is when she and Amane are helping Youko look through a box of Yume's stuff. It's an observation made with all of the innocent wisdom of a child in mind.

"Ne, Mommy's been acting a little strange lately, hasn't she?" Amane whispers to them, glancing back at Marie, who is watching them like a hawk.

"Mother's been strange since forever," Hinata whispers back, handing Youko a scarf to inspect. Her friend immediately buries her face into the fabric, inhaling deeply. She then carefully wraps it around her neck and strokes it, tracing the design on it.

Amane shakes her head, looking more conflicted than ever before. "No… it's like… before aunt Yume died, she was… she was weird, but all mommies are. Protective, fun, loving… now it's like the protectiveness is overshadowing everything else".

Hinata frowns, glancing back at Marie, too. She's been distracted by Solomon and baby Yugi, but her eyes keep straying to them, even as they're just seated around the box, looking through very soft things. More than once a "careful with that" or similar has been thrown their way.

Youko looks up from the scarf, a sullen look on her face. "At least you have a mother to worry about you… and a dad, even if he's away a lot more, lately".

Hinata grimaces and pats Youko's hand comfortingly. Amane winces a little, but doesn't say anything. They've both come to realize that Youko gets a little… prickly, when the topics fall on mothers in particular, and Yakumo as a topic is not to be touched with a 10 foot pole, unless you want to face her fury in all of its glory - friend or not. (And unwittingly her magic and the shadows. Fortunately, Mahad or Mana are quick to come to the rescue in such situations - Mahad most often.) (It helps that she's been seeing Mr. Taylor to help her sort through the grief, too).

(The others don't know that, of course. Only Hinata. Grandpa possibly suspects of it though. He's been around magic before among other things. He's no ignorant fool.)

They don't speak more of it that day, focusing on helping Youko go through the box. (She ends up keeping _everything_ , though it comes as a surprise to no one).

They spend the next three or so weeks going through Yume and Yakumo's things. Youko keeps most of Yume's things like jewelry, clothes, and some mementos she loved. (Luckily they are able to convince her to get rid of the items she really doesn't need or would use though.) Yakumo's stuff is all thrown out mostly. It's all boxed up and donated or trashed. Youko doesn't even look through any of it.

Hinata gets her next clue to Marie getting worse when they're all gathered in the Taylor home about a week later. All the children, all the mothers - yes, even Sally. (Anzu and Suzuki are trying to build new bridges, it seems, much to Marie's displeasure).

Joey, Youko, and Hinata are all seated, holding their siblings while Amane, Tea, and Tristan are gathered around them. They're all talking and cooing over the babies when they hear the mother's voices raise while talking. Without prompting, aside from a look from Youko (their unspoken leader), they all quiet down to listen.

"...will not… don't you know how dangerous it… out of the question…"

"Now now, Marie, isn't that a little harsh? I think it's a lovely initiative, Sally. It's been awhile since I visited the western marketplace, and I've heard good things about this Winter Market".

"...thank you," the younger woman murmurs. "It's nothing, really. I got extra tickets through work, and well… I may not be the best mother, but… I guess it's never too late to start over?"

" _Not the best mother?!_ " Marie hisses. "You abandoned your child on the first day we met you! Name one reason why we should trust you the safety of our children!"

"I have no delusions about having done everything right," Sally shoots right back, her voice strained, as if trying to remain calm and collected. "But make no mistake: I am still willing to learn and improve. I… I push things off on… other people… that I shouldn't. I know it's wrong. But that does not mean that I'm not willing to try to start over. To change".

"You do not deser-"

"Marie!" Suzuki's voice takes on a harsh tone. "That is quite enough. Friend or not, I won't accept that tone or language in my house - I hear enough of 'not deserving anything' from my cousin in the main branch of the family, thank you very much".

Marie grows silent. Their little group all turn their eyes on Tristan, briefly, who shrugs and whispers: "Mom's family is rich - at least the main branch is. Stuck-up, too, according to her. Ooto-something".

They go back to listening in on the conversation when Anzu speaks up.

"...-seen you around the adult education center. Are you going back to school?"

Sally nods once. "Jared doesn't really… contribute… to the household much these days, so I've decided to take classes in advanced mathematics while I'm on maternity leave. It'll give me better job options once I'm done, and well… it's nice to get out of the house more. Enjoy what youth I've got left, you know?"

There's a bit more chatter, but ultimately, it ends with Marie standing her ground. "You can take your children to that market, but I'm not letting my little angels join in on it. All sorts of dangerous things could happen! What if there's a fire? What if they get sick from the food? Imagine the germs in that place!"

Sally sighs heavily. "Mrs. Bakura, with all due respect… do you really have so little faith in me that I would intentionally endanger children? I assure you, reckless and irresponsible person that I've been in the past, I have never willingly caused a child harm - emotional or physical. Besides…" Hinata sees the woman look straight into Marie's eyes. " _Do you have so little faith in your friends' abilities as mothers that you don't trust them with your own children?"_

Hinata is very tempted to whisper "someone get some ice for that burn" under her breath, but she doesn't do it. Instead she watches as her mother's face goes even whiter than it usually is.

"What are you implying, Sally Wheeler?" Marie says through gritted teeth. Sally shrugs.

"Nothing, really. I'm just saying… I understand if you don't trust me with your children, but… Anzu and Suzuki would be there. You as well, if you'll accept the invitation. You trust them, right?"

Hinata decides right then and there, as Marie just sits there at a loss for words, that Sally Wheeler isn't as bad as she thought previously. No… this woman is a badass, deep down.

An inspiration against the well-intentioned smothering.

She gets up from the floor and trots over to her mother before anything more can be said, tugging on her pant leg. "Mother?"

Marie looks down, doing her best at covering up her displeased expression. "Yes darling?"

"I wanna go to the market and skate with Ama-nee," she says, calm as ever. "There's a skating rink, right?" She looks at Sally with big, hopeful eyes.

She is rewarded with a friendly smile and a little nod. "Of course! An open-air rink has been set up with skate rental."

Amane, perking up at the words "skating" and "rink" comes running and latches on to Marie's arm. " _Please_ , mommy, can we go? I promise to look out for all of my little siblings and I could bring Sana-chan and Chuusei-kun too and we can all teach them how to skate, and I promise we won't show them any advanced tricks yet, and it'd be so much _fun_!"

Hinata's gaze is locked on Marie's face, on her expression. She can see the war in her soul - her dislike of everything that has to do with Sally (with Joey being the one exception) and her inability to say no to them, but also… something else.

For a moment… it looks like they're _actually_ going to be told _no_ for a change.

"The babies aren't coming with you," Marie finally says sternly. "I don't care how safe it is, my little Ryou isn't going to be exposed to the cold when he's so young, and I refuse to let Yugi be exposed to anything like that after his premature-"

"Excuse me, Auntie Marie?"

"Ah, yes Youko-Chan?"

Hinata can see the fire ignited in Youko's eyes, and knows that even if she might agree with Marie on keeping Yugi safe, she is _also_ not going to let _anyone_ dictate what she or Solomon should and should not do when it comes to their youngest. Close friend of the family or not.

Thus, she's pretty sure that Youko is going to argue against what her mother just said out of _pure spite_ alone.

Her friend takes a deep breath.

"Please refrain from assuming that you have the right to decide anything that has to do with my baby brother without at first consulting Grandpa or myself".

There is something almost delicious about seeing the look of sheer shock and disbelief on all of the adults' faces. And it's quite understandable. Youko's been a virtual mute for a few weeks by this point - at least around other adult-bodied people that aren't Grandpa or non-living beings. This one sentence is the most Youko has spoken in a long time that doesn't include screaming for people to get away from her.

And she uses it to tell off Marie.

She spots Mahad out of the corner of her eye, tense and ready to interfere, should Marie's reaction be a negative one.

The one who responds is Suzuki.

"Mutou Youko," she says calmly, her voice switching to "mom" faster than she can blink. "That is no way to speak to your elders, young lady. You're a child - you, too, are not in any position to make decisions concerning your brother".

Youko bows her head politely, though she keeps her eyes trained on each adult. "I'm sorry, Auntie Suzuki, but… I just don't think that any of you should make these decisions without Grandpa being present. He is, ultimately, both mine and Yugi's guardian, and no matter if you are family friends it is not up to you to decide whether or not to " _let"_ myself or my brother do anything without consent from him".

It's silent for a few moments. Then, suddenly, Sally bursts into near-hysterical laughter, startling both Hinata and Youko.

"You're a gutsy little one, aren'cha?" She leans forwards to ruffle Youko's hair, then does the same to Hinata and Amane, winking at them. "Both of you, really. You're going to be menaces when you grow up".

Marie sputters indignantly. "My little angels are NOT going to be _menaces_!"

"Easy now, Marie-dear," Anzu butts in, calmly patting the fuming mother's shoulder. "It was just a harmless joke, right Sally-san?"

Sally just smiles and sighs a little. "Of course it was. And even if it wasn't, them knowing how to take charge is a good thing, I'd say. Natural leadership and all that".

The conversation switches to other things, then. Hinata goes back to playing and pushes all thoughts of her mother being weird to the side of her mind, in favor of thinking about learning how to skate from her Ama-nee and her cool friends. (No matter her mental age, an older sibling's friends will always be so much cooler than your own - it's a fact of life).

They end up going to the market a few days later and have a great time there, even if her mother spends most of the day either sulking on the side or screeching like a distressed pterodactyl about being careful.

Luckily when Grandpa had come to get Youko and Yugi, he had solved the problem and agreed and even enforced what Youko had said for regarding Yugi. (Much to the shock but eventual acceptance by the mothers.)

He sits off to the side, surrounded by mothers and babies, while Amane and her friends do their best to teach them the ins and outs of skating and figure skating. (Hinata will, to her dying day, remain firmly convinced that nothing was more magical than seeing Amane do her beginners' jumps and spins, looking like a winter sprite, even in her thick clothing).

The amusing part of it all was watching the kids all fall and mess up but still have fun. It was a fight to get poor Tristan and Youko away from the walls though. Youko, the poor girl, kept slipping and falling no matter what and Tristan wasn't much better off. They eventually got the hang of keeping their balance and staying upright though.

(They have an amusing conversation about it later, her and Youko…)

" _It's a frozen death-trap"._

" _It's not that bad."_

" _I used to be decent at this! Now I'm practically killing myself trying to stay standing!"_

(Mana just laughed throughout everything).

Her mother's protests and horrible mood aside, it was a good day. (They do end up sick for a few days after the trip, but they both agree it was worth it.)

.

.

.

It didn't last unfortunately.

* * *

Osamu was the next one she really started noticing changes in. She'd noticed them before, but… as the months passed, and her mother's behaviour worsened, so did _he_.

She knows she isn't the easiest child to love. She knows she's unsettling at best and stand-offish at worst, but… she wouldn't call herself unlovable. (She's got her good sides, right? She does her best to not be too difficult, to help out when she can.)

And yet… that's how it feels like, when she's in the same room as Osamu. And even that becomes an increasingly rarer occurrence, as time goes on.

He feels… cold. That's the only way she can describe it.

Cold.

 _Dead._

Only when he's with Amane does he feel a little warmer, but it's weakened by the intense feeling of ice and _darkness_ she can sense from him.

It's not like her own coldness or inner darkness. Mana tells her so, when she asks about it.

"That man… he's given up," she says, patting Hinata's head where it's laying on her bent knees. "There's a darkness overshadowing him. He's not well, and I fear he's not safe either Little Moon."

As time goes on, the spirit appears more and more, and stays longer and longer with her whenever Osamu is home. She's always near, always watching. Both her and Ryou, really.

It's a bitter pill to swallow.

Her own father is no longer safe for her anymore.

He's often away for weeks - sometimes even months, and comes home smelling of dust and incense. He starts leaving little artifacts here and there, notebooks filled with illegible writing. (She thinks she can sometimes make-out the words "youkai" or "Yuki-Onna". Realizing that they're often couple with her name, although it's often scribbled out, sends chills down her back).

He often talks to himself, muttering things under his breath and glaring at the wall.

Marie doesn't realize anything is wrong. Either that, or she ignores it, even as she gets more and more lost in her mind.

In the dead of night, plans are made. _Plans she shouldn't have to make, shouldn't have to need at age 4_.

Things change, slowly.

Most for the better. Some for the worse.

They all grow, and learn. Bond together more. Become closer.

Somewhere along the way, Youko finds a stray black cat with reddish-brown eyes and names it Panther Lily. Lily for short. (Because of _course_ she does, the _nerd_ ).

.

.

.

And like that, a year passes.

* * *

She has a hard time believing they've already reached 2001, when they're already almost done with January and celebrating Joey's 6th birthday.

It's a small affair. They've all gathered at Tristan's house for daycare and just bring presents. Sally supplies them with mini-cupcakes before heading to work and that is that. Regardless, Joey is happier than ever. (Especially because he, once again, is the oldest).

The three minis are there, and Panther Lily, too. As the toddlers toddle around everywhere and babble in broken sentences, trying to mimic the birthday song they sing, the cat follows them around, meowing and sleeping on them when they finally tire out and pass out on their blanket. (At this point, the adults have all given up on stopping the cat from following and going anywhere with Youko. It somehow _always_ escapes whatever they've locked him in and finds them no matter what.)

It all feels like a distant dream to Hinata. To all of them, really, in their own ways.

The seasons passed, as winter became spring became summer became autumn and then winter again.

They breathe. The listen. They learn. They _grow_.

Always moving forwards, never stopping.

Spring 2000, Suzuki turns them into a little choir and signs them up for a local competition in the first week of June. They place 3rd in their age group, but they celebrate it like a major victory, because they manage to beat a choir with more members, all consisting of kids older than them.

(Youko is beyond ecstatic. She stands tall and proud on the stage, singing her little heart out - even getting to do a small solo).

Spring is also the time of dance recitals and showing off what they've learned in gymnastics and other sports. It's a hectic time, but they all pull through. Grandpa is always there with his camera, crying about how proud he is of all of his girls, and when Joey and Tristan play in soccer matches in their mini-league they're always gathered on the sides to cheer them on.

In between all of that, they learn all sorts of seemingly useless things that come in handy more than once. Knowledge of the Egyptian language lets them have completely private conversations (except when Grandpa is around, but he can keep a secret) and through Anzu they can an understanding of nature and how to make coded messages - just through mentioning or drawing the flowers alone.

Winter brings Amane's turn to shine, as she skates almost every day with Sana and Chuusei. Hinata is spellbound by the jumps and spins and turns, sitting dutifully on the side with wide eyes. After every practice, Hinata joins her sister on the ice for a few short minutes. It's during one of these times that Amane's teacher approaches Hinata and her mother.

The teacher, Mr. Yuriko, expressed amazement at Hinata's grace and natural talent on the ice without any training. In a matter of an hour, he convinces Marie to sign Hinata up for classes and training. Amane is one big grin for a week. And Hinata finds herself enjoying it, too - a lot more than she initially thought she would. She finds freedom on the ice, an escape. Just her and the frosty surface, going at speeds she couldn't reach before…

It's like flying. Like she's a shooting star.

Sana and Chuusei take her under their wings immediately, adopting her into their families much like she's adopted the families of all of her friends. Sana gives her tough love, and Chuusei is like the older brother she didn't know she needed.

Within a half a year she's advanced up several levels and is placed into Amane's group.

On their days off and most free times, especially when they're sick and recovering, Youko works on the puzzle. It's a slow process and in the year and some odd months she's been working on it, she's only been able to fit together a few pieces. It's frustrating for Youko. She knows the shape and everything, but it just won't go really. They both assume it's magic bullshit that's preventing the completion so soon. Surprisingly, one day, when the others sit down and help Youko, they are able to get a few pieces together. After that they all take to helping Youko whenever they're around.

(Youko tells her in secret about the strange zaps of _something_ she gets from the puzzle, sometimes. It's one of the few things neither Mahad nor Mana will explain to her, and she finds it infuriating, even if she's got a feeling what it is. Youko also tells her how she's taken to talking to the puzzle, in hopes that the Pharaoh can hear her and not feel so lonely and trapped.)

In the end, it is as it is… they grow. They live. They thrive… as much as they can, at least. The babies slowly become toddlers and start rolling, then crawling, then taking their first, shaky steps, and saying their first words…

Youko is still quiet on certain days, still mourns her losses. On the days of her mother's death and burial respectively, she doesn't say a word. She barely even moves. She just sits quietly in front of the little altar and cries and prays. Mahad and Panther Lily don't leave her side throughout it all. Once Hinata hears her whisper " _I miss you… more and more, every day…"_ , but she acts like she didn't hear it.

December and her birthday comes and goes and they're all 5… and then they're suddenly in 2001 and on their way to turning 6 and starting school - an entire year early for all of them, except Joey - their lucky oldest one.

In April that very year, they're all dropped off at Domino Public Elementary, placed in the same class and everything.

And so their school days begin.

* * *

It's as boring and draining but fun as she and Youko remember.

They're learning things they mostly know but also new things since they're in Japan instead of America.

The system is so different from the American schooling system. It's weird but nice. They focus on many different things, and she has a distinct feeling that they're being pushed more than they were in their old lives.

They unfortunately end up sick again shortly after starting. They're gone for almost three weeks. (Youko muses that it's probably because it's a new environment and there are new bacteria and the like that they don't have immunity to yet.) Luckily, they have wonderful friends who bring them their homework and they're smart enough to not be behind their classes when they return.

Along with classes, clubs, and after school activities, they continue to learn from Grandpa and the parents, and they quickly gain a reputation as a group of close-knit and smart children. They're friendly towards other people, but… Hinata knows that their growing up together and being through so much may have made them a little… _disinterested_ … in other people. (She doesn't necessarily see this as a bad thing, but… she can't tell if it's good, either).

Youko and herself also continue with the lessons that Mahad and Mana had started to give them shortly after they were first summoned.

Magic, language, writing, laws, cultural studies. Basically everything about life in Ancient Egypt.

It's a lot to learn and study. It's hard and draining but it's invaluable knowledge and worth it. The hardest thing to grasp is magic though.

Spells… methods of channeling _power_ … all of the differences between the types (because, as they learn, it isn't just black and white, Light and Shadow) and what they do. Because even Light has its drawbacks. Not to mention all of the different types of elemental magic and those that fall in unspecified categories and what happens if one is used in connection with another or what protects against which types. And there are the studies on plants and how the planets and stars affect everything.

They become witches. Sorceresses. Summoners and Spell Casters.

Or, well… they will be, one day, according to Mahad.

It'll be a while yet before that though. They've got a long way to go still.

They form new, loose friendships with a few of the other kids in their class. Hinata notices that they're those who are a little frail or otherwise peculiar. The ones bullies like to pick on, the ones who are behind.

It's during their very first Summer Break that Youko finally finds the information Yume stored about her sister - Youko's aunt Shizukana.

It's not a lot, in all honesty. A bunch of letters - the latest of them all from Yume, but returned to sender - and an old address… a few names, too. Nothing more.

But it's a beginning, and both Youko and Grandpa pounce on it like a cheetah jumping at an antelope. For days nobody sees the remains of the Mutou-household. Then they all emerge and return to life as if nothing happened.

(Later, Youko tells them that Grandpa did his best, followed every clue, but very little came up, and so they decided to push the search back a little, in order to be able to function like normal humans).

(Once she's alone with Hinata, Youko further admits that Grandpa basically told her to let him handle the search for Shizukana and go be a child. " _It's not your battle to fight, little one. Enjoy your time of happy obliviousness while you still have it"_ , he'd said. If only he knew…)

That "happy obliviousness" last only until shortly after the beginning of their new semester.

Because in the Fall of 2001…

.

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.

.

Hinata is left in the dust as canon finally catches up to her when she and Ryou, like Youko and Yugi before them, find themselves not only virtual orphans, but also a sibling shorter.

* * *

A/N: The time has come… the time to end this chapter on a cliffhanger! *Evil laughter*

Okay, in all seriousness… this one was difficult to write. Partially because I've started up my 3rd year of university and spends a lot of time studying for both classes and my BA, leaving me incredibly tired, and partially because we've got a lot of AUs that we're also trying to keep track of. And it just. Kept. Growing! In fact, this chapter WAS going to be much longer, but we decided to move the angst to the next chapter, so it wouldn't feel… cluttered, I guess, is the best word for it.

Like last chapter was Youko centric, this one is Hinata centric, but spanning a much longer time period. Despite the tragedies and sorrows they face, the kids grow, learn, enter school… life continues.

Mahad and Mana are established as main support characters, and their roles in how Hinata and Youko ended up in this world is revealed. Someone knows their secret, but they're willing to help them! But something a little darker is hinted at beneath the surface and charm of learning magic. Like with almost everything in life, there's a price to pay for everything, especially failure. Especially for those who try to defy their destiny.

Reintroducing Sally Wheeler - Sally 2.0! Just like the kids grow and change, so do the adults in their lives. Some for better, some for worse, as is the perfect example with Sally and Marie. One is willingly trying to change for the better, while the other tries to hold onto the past and, in the end, changes for the worse because of it. Osamu isn't much better off, and Hinata discovers that maybe, just maybe… she isn't as safe in her own home as she previously thought.

Other miscellaneous things happen. Amane's friends and her hobby/passion of figure skating is revealed. Youko asserts her independence to overbearing mothers, looks for Shizukana and gets a cat. Yes, Panther Lily is absolutely a Fairy Tail reference, for those wondering. (Fun fact: he was originally going to be named Yami, but we decided to change it. Stars' reaction to the suggestion of Panter Lily was, and I quote: "Fuck yes!" end quote. The nerd XD).

But this is Yu-Gi-Oh, and Hinata is a Bakura. Reborn into an alternate timeline or not, certain things are just bound to happen. Because almost _none_ of the main characters have a happy backstory.

But that covers it for this chapter. Next time, things REALLY go downhill for the Bakura family.

In other news! Do you guys ever wonder what goes on behind the scenes? Do you wish there was a place outside of the fic where you could contact Stars or me? A place where you might send us stuff and maybe read a stray snippet now and then? Well, look no further, because we've got a Tumblr now! It's .com, and this is where we'll be posting new updates and general bits and pieces of what goes on in the story. We've literally got nothing there, yet, but we hope to remedy that soon enough!

With that out of the way, all there's left for me is to say: thanks for reading, and we hope to see you next time!

NordicTwin

A/N:

Hello again my Ducklings! Sorry (not sorry) for the cliffhanger.

Phew! Can't believe it's already been a month since our last update! This was a doozy of a chapter to write. So much we wanted to do but had to cut out so that it wouldn't be too long. Struggles to get the right emotions and things down and describe everything.

Sorry for the wait though. We've both been busy, especially Nordic. I've tried writing by myself but it's a struggle. I can usually only write (and write well) when I'm writing with someone else and not by myself. We also, as Nordic mentioned, have a shit ton of awesome AU's and snippets that love to distract us (among other things).

So this is somewhat a filler and time skip chapter. We're trying to show them living and all that it also get to canon and the main events. It's a hard balance to find.

So we learn more about how the girls arrived in the world and the roles Mahad and Mana had in it. We see the sinister part of how nothing is ever free and there's always a consequence to failing and all that. Mana and Mahad will be regular fixtures in the girls' lives from now on so expect more of them.

Hmm...lot of little things happen this chapter. Establishing more details about the others. Having time passing and everyone growing. Showing how people can change (for better or worse) over the years. Etc. Finding old info on Shizukana but not having any luck. (That will be a thing. It's gonna take a while for anything to happen.) Pets are always great and comforting, so Youko gets a cat. (yes, the cat was gonna be named Yami but I thought that in the end it would cause too much confusion later one. And constantly writing kitty-yami was a bit much.)1

Ugh. I'm really stuck. Not sure what else needs addressing or anything. (That's what happens when you have a summary/fuller chapter.) Anyways, stuff happened and time passed. Then we leave you hanging.

So, moving on from chapter talk.

The Caught in the Game Blog is now set up and ready to go!

So if you have any questions, comments, fanart, or anything you want to give/submit to us, you now can! Woo! *throws confetti*

We will be posting the chapter links to the fic as well as anything you guys submit or any snippets we write and all that jazz.

The blog is caughtinthegame . tumblr . com (I know, real original isn't it? ;D)

Shoutout to all of the people who viewed and all of our current followers and faves and our new followers and favorites (Pleasereadmything, Faerydaea, KamiKaze no Kage, desertfox.x, Lulu Heart, atwistedconundrum, Sara Ivy Wolf, SaiKaiya01, Lyrashin, Alimpson, avert 1523, and CompYES) And thanks to everyone who left Kudos!

And **EXTRA** thank yous and love to Flaremage, usagi-no-usotsuki, Kara, ren7720, and Contentkarma347 for the reviews!

Please, _PLEASE_ leave us comments and reviews, especially if you have any questions or are confused! We love them so very much! We get so motivated to write when we get reviews!

Thanks again to the amazingly talented and lovely Moirei for Beta-ing for us, as always :)

So yeah…...The pain and suffering (mostly) starts next chapter.

That's it for now, thanks again for reading my duckies, and we'll see you all next time on Caught in the Game!

Counting Sinful Stars

 **Edited/Beta by Moirei**

 **Finished & Published September 18, 2017**


	12. It's Just a Little Curse

**Chapter 11- It's Just a Little Curse**

 _ **Same warnings from chapter 9 go for this one as well. Don't tell us we didn't warn you. Or that we're evil. We know this already.**_

 _ **Good luck duckies.**_

 _ **-Stars and Nordic**_

* * *

It was supposed to be a happy day. _It was supposed to be a day of celebration and excitement._

Their little choir, the Do-re-mi-oes, had been participating in a small music festival hosted by one of the elite schools in their district: Meiou Academy. They'd been competing against a lot of really good Junior choirs and, as the smallest choir by far, had been facing steep competition.

 _And they'd won_.

Youko had been over the moon. Glowing and happy. It had been infectious, everyone around her felt her joyful mood and in turn become giddy and lighthearted. (Later on, after congratulating and giving them proud smiles, Mahad and Mana tell them that it was Youko's magic that had spread and made others feel her happy emotions).

They decided to celebrate with an impromptu party and sleepover at Tristan's house. Marie went to pick up Amane from skating practice, so she could join them, too. They were all so happy and joyous, things had been going so well.

.

.

.

.

They didn't make it back.

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.

.

.

A storm had been rolling in that day. Not a typhoon or hurricane, just a really bad storm. It had begun to rain when Marie left to get Ama-nee, and had only gotten worse as time passed. Marie had called them from the rink and told them that she and Amane were going to make their way back.

Her mother had told her she'd be _careful_. That there was no chance that she and Amane _would not make it back to them safely_. Amane had shouted her congratulations from the backseat…

Time passed… passed their estimated time of arrival… the pounding rain had turned to a heavy snow fall.

" _They're okay. Maybe they just had to stop by the side of the road, because of the weather. They're fine. They're going to come home,"_ she thinks, her mind running in circles, until she can't sit still anymore and starts pacing.

It gets dark out.

.

.

.

An officer shows up at the door.

.

.

.

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It had been an accident.

For some reason, Marie had crossed a red light - maybe she hadn't been able to see the shift due to the snow, or she'd been otherwise distracted - and the truck hadn't been able to avoid the car.

They'd been dead before the ambulance arrived.

They died instantly. No pain, most likely unaware of what had happened even. There's that small **mercy/relief.**

She's not allowed to go to the hospital, but Todd and Adam do to identify the bodies. They let her know that Amane had barely had a scratch on her.

She'd just looked like she was asleep.

 _(It sounds gruesome, to tell a child such a thing, but the words reassure her more than anything else. She tries to not think about how she wasn't told how her mother looked)._

Osamu hadn't been home. Of course he hadn't. _He never was, anymore_.

Oh, Hinata knows that her father is rotten. She's known it ever since she overheard Solomon talking with Adam about his worries for Osamu.

Words such as " _fired,"_ " _inappropriate behaviour,"_ and " _independent writing"_ had been involved.

That was when she realized why they'd had to cut down on a lot of things, and why he never spoke of his job anymore. Why he mostly remained in his office on the rare days he stayed home.

He didn't _have_ a steady-paying job, anymore.

 _She wonders how he paid for all of his "trips" and why he was gone so often and for so long._ What happened to their money?

No one is able to reach him. He doesn't come back until a few days later.

By that point the medical examiner had done the autopsy on Marie and discovered that she had a tumor in her brain - not only that, but that it was the size of an orange, too. It had been there for years apparently, growing slowly. Slow enough that no one noticed or even realized that she could have one. (Despite the drastic changes in her personality, even if they were slow ones.)

Hinata can't tell if she's relieved or not by this discovery. Some part of her is happy that there was a very good reason for her mother's change in behavior. Another part of her feels awful for her past treatment of the woman and all of her snide thoughts.

Even if she knew it was coming… _her mommy and her sister are dead…_

(Now she knows how Youko felt. Losing a mother once is painful, unbearable. Losing a mother for a second time? It's just as heartbreaking and agonizing. It's like waking up as an infant all over again, realizing that you've lost your loved ones.)

She screams.

It's not like Youko's wailing, not like how her baby brother wails when he's hungry or can't verbalize his thoughts or wants something.

She just lets out one, lone, mournful scream into the darkness, her little heart breaking apart in a million pieces, only to be put together almost instantly by something cold and dark. And then she passes out, waking up hours later to the sight of Mana leaning over her, crying and holding her close.

" _Ah… so that is what awakening the Darkness feels like…"_ she thinks, staring emptily into space.

(Youko is there, too. She can feel the heat of her body, the familiar call of her soul, resting against her, small hands clutching the fabric of her shirt. The girl says nothing, but she doesn't need to. She feels Mahad's strong and comforting presence as well, feels him standing guard over them all. Lily makes himself comfortable by curling up against her chest and purrs to comfort her.)

The room is filled with a pale light falling in through the window.

She feels so… cold… _why is it so cold?_

"Little Moon… please… can you think of something happy for me?" Mana whispers to her.

Happy… how can she possibly think of something happy, when her world has crashed down around her?!

"Hinata, _please…_ " Youko then says, her voice frail, like it's on the verge of breaking. "I know it's difficult, but… you have to control your emotions for now. _You need to stop the blizzard._ "

She blinks. Her voice is hoarse and her throat sore when she speaks.

"What blizzard?"

Youko takes a deep, shuddering breath. "You know how I can sort of influence the emotions of others, if I feel strongly enough?"

Of course she does. It had been just about the coolest thing ever to discover, even if a bit impractical at times. But what does that have to with any-

"Your emotions control the weather."

She chokes on a breath.

The weather?!

"What do you mean my emotions control the weather?!" She manages to get out in-between coughs.

Mahad moves from his position and lifts her from the bed (Youko's bed, she realizes) and carries her to the window, which is almost completely covered in snow. Outside she can see drifts piling high, abandoned cars looking like odd lumps in the sea of white.

Oh...

 _Oh._

That's….. _she_ did all of _that_?

It's…..it's….it's all h-

"It is _not_ your fault Hinata." Mahad suddenly says in a stern voice. "You did _nothing_. This only happened once all of your emotions spiked and you passed out."

Not her-

It's not her-

HOW IS IT NOT HER FAULT?!

The wind howls against the window pane.

"Hinata! You didn't _do_ anything!" Youko suddenly yells. "This all only happened _after_ we found out about the accident!"

"Hinata, _please,_ call down!"

She's not sure she can. She wants to, but so many different emotions run through her mind, much stronger and bigger and she feels like she's drowning, and she just- she just wants-

"I want my mom back!" She wails into Mahad's chest, allowing her pride to fall and to let herself just be a little kid again. "I want the mom who she could've been and the mom she was! I want her _back_! Why did _they_ have to take her and Ama-nee from me?!"

Mahad's arms are secure around her, like a cradle fitted just for her, and she suddenly thinks she gets why Youko likes being held by him so much. His breaths are steady and secure, a life-line, an anchor, in the middle of the storm her body is caught in.

She rages and squirms and cries until her voice is all but gone and her nose is both stuffed and running. He lets her do it. Lets her dirty him in such a manner, all while keeping his hold on her steady and secure. But it's not he who drags her mind from the dark place, not his voice who cuts through the silence.

It's Mana.

"I don't know Little Moon," she whispers, her hand nice and cool on her swollen cheek. "Sometimes, some things just _can't_ be changed."

"It's not fair," she whimpers, too exhausted to care about much more than the soul-crushing grief that has settled in the middle of her heart. "I've been good, haven't I? _We_ have been good. We haven't done anything to displease _them_ , right? Surely _they_ can't fault us for feeling bitter?"

"I doubt that they really care and wouldn't be so petty to cause such pain this way. But, I do know that Marie and Amane were always destined to die around this time from the car accident."

She sniffles, tries to hold it back.

Another harsh gust of wind batters at the window when she remember's Amane's face. Happy… smiling… _alive_.

"I know that it's-" Youko starts, stopping as she chokes on her own tears. "that it's hard Hinata. But you still have Ryou, and me, and everyone else though. We're all still your family and are here for you."

She breathes. Tries to, at least. But the air feels thin and she's just _so tired…_

It's like she's not even connected to her body. Like she is just floating in ice and darkness again. But no… she's awake and still alive, somehow. Youko's sobs as she shares her pain, the feel of Mana's skin against her cheek, the quiet pressure and security of Mahad holding her….

Her breathing evens out.

Ever so slowly, the wind stills.

 _She is not alone._

* * *

She's surprised Osamu even bothers to show up at the funeral. That he was even involved in the brief planning it took, actually.

Snow covers the ground. Not as thickly as it did on the day they - they _left_ \- but it's still not gone, yet. In the distance she can hear children laughing, playing.

It's a beautiful, sunny day, even if bitterly cold. (It appears that the stone that has settled deep in the pit of her stomach is at the root of her powers. And right now that stone is made of a calm type of grief - thus the cold).

Everyone is there. Youko is practically fused to her side, she can sense Mana and Mahad hiding off to the side, the other kids surround them followed by the adults. Osamu stands off on his own, opposite the group.

He looks a mess. Unkempt and scruffy looking. He didn't even bother to look his best. He hadn't even looked surprised when he got back and heard the news. Just stared at her with empty eyes before leaving. (She knows he blames her, knows that he expected something bad to happen. His only real reaction was not when he heard his wife had died or that she had a tumor, but that his oldest daughter had died with her. She could see him mentally blaming Marie for that along with her.)

 _(His frequent mutters of Yuki-Onna are as unsurprising as they are terrifying)_.

She starts taking measures to be alone with her father as little as possible. Suzuki, Sally and Anzu start taking turns staying in her home a few days to care for Ryou. Over-night, too. And Mahad and Mana are never far away, either. (Even Panther-Lily stays. Youko insisted that he stay to help protect Hinata and Ryou.)

It's like they _know_ , these mothers. Even without influence from her spirit guardians they hover around her like lionesses with their cubs.

November comes and goes very slowly. It's duller and colder each passing day. Nothing changes. The adults try to coax Osamu into sorting through things, but weeks later everything is still the same. Like a living shrine.

They enter December. There is no talk of the coming holidays, no decorations or baking, in the Bakura house. Marie loved Christmas. A good, old fashioned Christmas had been one of the things she loved the most.

There is no love in their house anymore. Only the frail bond between her and Ryou.

(She'd give anything to have the old love back. As suffocating as it was, it was warm and comforting. She misses it. Misses _them_.)

Osamu grows darker and more broken each day. Barely sleeps, barely eats, barely home at all. Doesn't bathe, doesn't shave, barely even speaks five words to other people each day. Glowers at her and Ryou… just glowers in general, but mostly at them.

He thinks her a demon… but when she looks upon him, she can only see darkness.

A grieving, broken man consumed by darkness and despair and hate. A demon more real than what he thinks her.

Money grows sparse. He goes out and returns with bags filled to the brim, but barely any food. Bills pile up. Everyone comments on it, but he just snaps at them to mind their own _fucking_ business.

She fears what could happen.

Nothing can last forever. Something had to give.

It all culminates just a few days into the holiday season.

Hinata is half asleep, dreams uneasy, curled around Ryou, when Mana suddenly appears.

Hinata is up in an instant because the look on Mana's face scares her. She's serious and stern, eyes hard, though she keeps a small smile on her face.

"Pack up your overnight bag, Little Moon," she whispers quickly, picking up Ryou from the bed. "Hurry now. You're going to Youko's house, okay? Pack things for the baby, too".

Hinata doesn't say anything just nods. As she packs the few basic things they'll need, she sees Lily slink into the room from the corner of her eye. She jumps and turns to fully look at him when she sees a huge shadow, only, she sees nothing but him and his tiny body.

 _Odd…_

The cat is next to her as she leaves her room to enter the hallway to find her father by the door and little Ryou already packed up neatly in his baby carrier (she wonders how Mana did it so quickly, but decides it doesn't matter). His eyes are oddly blank, more than usual, like he isn't there…

Someone is hypnotizing him, she realizes. Keeping him calm, unaware of what's really going on.

Something's wrong. _Very_ wrong. Or rather… it must have been going wrong, or Mana wouldn't have acted with such urgency.

She has a hunch as to what is about to happen, but remains silent. It won't matter, anyways. Fate and canon can't be escaped, and there is one last thing that has yet to happen in her life.

"It's time isn't it?" She asks softly as they load up into the car.

The darkness moves around her and she hears Mahad whisper: "He would have hurt you, child. Action must be taken".

…...that really doesn't make it hurt less that she's going to be abandoned by the one biological parent, no matter how horrible, she's got left.

"What's going to happen to him?"

The car starts moving. Everything is quiet until they pull up by the Mutou home.

"He shall never return, Daughter of the Moon. Of that you have my word".

 _That doesn't answer her question_.

She wants to make demands. But…

She doesn't want to know.

 _She's just so tired._

Before she knows it, she's laying on a couch with Ryou by her side, covered by a blanket, staring at the digital clock under the TV.

It's 4:30 in the morning. She hears Osamu and Solomon talk over by the door. There's a click. Then Solomon is there, looking at her like he _knows_ … but that can't be true. It must be something else.

It's not much time later that sleep claims her again.

* * *

Adam normally prides himself on being a calm sort of person. Someone who knows how to keep his cool, even in the most insane situations.

But there's got to be a line somewhere, because he has _never_ experienced anything like this in his work as a lawyer. No, in his life! First Yakumo… and now Osamu?!

What the hell is going on?!

At least Yakumo only left. (As bad is that is)

But this…..this is just _wrong._ Osamu has gone off the deep end.

"Adam, dear," Anzu says a little nervously. "Please, calm down a bit? You'll make yourself dizzy if you keep pacing like that".

Bless his wife. She's so sweet and considerate… he wishes he could listen to her advice.

"That crazy son of a-!" He spits. "Sorry, love, but I can't let this go. If you'd seen his office when Solomon, Todd and I went over there… the lair of a madman I tell you. Like straight out of a thriller or something. It was horrible… and we let Hinata and Ryouichi live with him for weeks!"

Articles on the supernatural…

Ancient legends and tales of youkai and demons…

Purification rituals and exorcisms-! An unfinished e-mail, still opened on the computer, requesting for a goddamn priest to come and "save" his "beloved daughter" from the "vicious Yuki-Onna" possessing her?!

He thanks whatever gods exist that something decent still remained in the man. Enough, at least, to end the insanity and take her to responsible people.

And when he looks at the bank-account Osamu also gave him access to…

"They've got nothing left, Anzu," he whispers, finally stopping in his tracks, hands clenched at his sides. "Almost all their money… gone, spent on equipment for some insane ritual to "save" Hinata. Bills haven't been paid in who knows how long and from what I understand, they would've lost the house soon. So I'm sorry, but I can't calm down, because I want to go hunt him down and take him to court for this".

"It's awful. I can't….how could all of this have happened?" Anzu whispers in horrified sadness. "Please tell me you can get custody of the children or something."

Adam's eyes take on a steely look, and in a mere moment's notice the husband is gone and the lawyer has taken the stage. "Working on it as we speak. Solomon has already agreed to take them in - Bakura left them with him before coming here. Don't worry, dear, they're in good hands now. They're safe".

Anzu breathes a sigh of relief. Something he wished he could do as well, but he knows won't happen until every last document is signed and approved. Until justice has been done.

* * *

Days pass.

Youko can't do anything but watch as the adults come and go in a steady stream, rushing to and fro in a chaotic mess of paperwork, lawyers, police and anyone else who have to do with the safety of children.

It's nothing less than what she and Hinata had expected, but… it still stings. And she's not even the victim of abandonment this time.

Hinata, bless her heart, takes everything in stride. She lets the adults think she's a confused, mourning child - like she doesn't know exactly what's happened to her and Ryou. But Youko knows the truth, knows Hina almost better than she knows herself.

Where the adults see fear and confusion, Youko sees only one emotion.

Anger.

It's easy enough to see, for Youko at least. She feels the same thing whenever she thinks about Yakumo leaving, what the gods want from her and Hinata, and now also when she thinks of Osamu.

 _What is it with fathers in shounen manga always being so terrible? Or the mothers dying?_

Solomon takes the time to sit all the kids down and talk about what happened, speaking to them as equals and intelligent individuals.

Their little group of friends is nice. They may still be a bit young to fully understand all that has happened, but they get the gist of it. It's comforting to have them, they all make an effort to be with the girls more, to cheer them up the best they can.

Joey offers to egg Osamu's car. Then they learn that the car had to be sold to pay off some of the ridiculously high bills. Same with the house.

Tristan offers to kick him in the shin when he sees him again. But the last clue of Osamu even still being alive is the arrival of the documents that make Solomon the permanent guardian of Hinata and Ryou.

Tea, in one of her rare vindictive moods, declares she will kick Osamu between his legs as hard as she can if she ever sees him again. That gets a small smile from Hinata and laughs from the others, the adults weakly scold Tea, though their amusement is very plain to see.

Youko thinks her own offer is the best though. Especially because it finally gets a nice smile and small laugh out of Hinata.

They're sitting around the kotatsu when she offers it.

"Do you want me to curse him? Because I'm pretty sure I could do it. Just say the word and it'll be done".

"...maybe." Is Hinata's contemplative response as she gives Ryou back the toy he dropped.

Youko grins and pulls Yugi closer to her to keep him warm. She loves holding and cuddling with her baby brother just as much as Hinata does with Ryou. "Mahad is positive I cursed Yakumo when he left so it's an option." She says breezily, "just saying."

Mahad is immediately in front of them, looking like the textbook definition of suffering. "You're not going to curse anyone, Young Mistress. I forbid it".

Mana takes that moment to add in her own opinion, already red in the face with anger and indignation. "But he deserves it!"

Youko grins widely, "See! We all think it! So I'll curse him!" She chirps happily and gestures for Mahad to come sit with her.

"Mana, stop encouraging the Young Mistress," he sighs, pinching the bridge of his nose. "This kind of behaviour is unacceptable".

"It's Youko, Mahad, _Youko_. I'll curse _you_ if you don't stop calling me young mistress or any form of it." She mutters darkly with a pout.

In that moment, another person decides to join in on the conversation.

"I don't know about unacceptable, but she's definitely too young to deliberately mess around with such dark magic, honorable Mage".

Hinata's cup of water freezes into solid ice and Youko isn't quite sure how she got into Mahad's arms while still holding Yugi, but somehow that's where she ended up. The spirit in question raises his staff in warning and Mana crouches over Ryou and Hinata.

Grandpa is standing in the doorway with a knowing smile and a twinkle in his eyes. He's holding a basket of laundry in his hands.

It's deathly silent.

"I- ahwa… how- how did…" Youko's brain short-circuits and she feels her ability to speak slip away from her as her grandfather just calmly walks through the room and sits down on the couch.

"You know, little ones, if you want to be sneaky about this, you really ought to have your meetings in private," he tells them, calmly beginning to fold the clothes.

 _What. The. Hell?!_

"How… you mean you can see them?!" Hinata manages to get out on a choked breath. "How is this possible?"

Solomon just nods. "Sure can. Saw 'em for the first time years ago when I found that puzzle you've been working on".

Youko is speechless. So is Hinata for that matter. Mahad and Mana just share a strange look she can't quite decipher, before they relax and Youko is once again on the ground.

She stares at her Grandpa for several moments before sighing. "Really, in hindsight, it should have been _obvious_ ," she mutters to Hinata.

Hinata looks from her frozen water to Youko to Grandpa, who is just smiling at them calmly. Then she shrugs.

It's silent for a few moments, and then-

"...so can I curse him?"

" _No."_

"I wanna curse him though!"

"You can curse him when you're older my little sun"

"Mr. Mouto, _please…."_

"That's _Grandpa_ to you young man."

* * *

 _A/N:_

 _*Endless screaming and frantic typing away at BA-project*_

 _Thanks for reading._

 _Nordic_

A/N:

Hey Duckies. Sorry for the long wait. Unfortunately life happens to us all.

Poor Nordic has been working almost nonstop on her University classes plus working on her 20+ page Bachelor's paper that's due soon. (Among other things going on in her life.)

I myself work 2 jobs and have had several family emergencies and issues going on. So writing has been hard for us. Mainly in finding time and energy to write. (We also got sucked into a new fandom that has us planning a fic and such along with our lovely Beta.)

We do both apologize for the long wait, but hope that it was worth it. (Also, there are no plans whatsoever to abandon CitG, delays and short hiatus, yes, but never abandon.)

Anyways, on to the chapter.

Time passing and some happy moments for the gang. Then more sadness and pain. (Unfortunately, that's life sometimes.) The gang's day to day activities are somewhat explored, magic and powers start to manifest more, and the crazy is revealed.

Also, you can tell where Youko gets some of her sass and snark from. Grandpa is the best and we love him. Especially when he's a trolling little shit too. XD

Shoutout to all of the people who viewed and all of our current followers and faves and our new followers and favorites (voljin2, Luziefers nightmare, The Tinfoil Cat, MikoWhiteFang, snik25, YumikoChan151, Wowza48, Keiolsha, The Otaku Lady Priya, FlamingStar1, White Wolf Writers, DarkFireCat5241999, SanguineOwl, tomboy-otaku98, TheQueen'sknight, and TheSuperMario) And thanks to everyone who left Kudos!

And **EXTRA** thank yous and love to Flaremage, Lightsbane1905, SanguineOwl, TheSuperMario, and Guest for the reviews/comments!

Please, _PLEASE_ leave us comments and reviews, especially if you have any questions or are confused! We love them so very much! We get so motivated to write when we get reviews!

Thanks again to the amazingly talented and lovely Moirei for Beta-ing for us, as always :)

We do hope to have more time to write once Nordic (and Moirei) are done with their papers and schooling and are on break. But it may be limited too since the Holidays are coming up and it'll be family time then.

Another note, things will be picking up in the next few chapters. We're getting closer to canon. We just wanted to establish their life outside of it and give them grounding and stronger bonds.

Also, don't forget about our Caught in the Game Tumblr blog! We post links to the chapters there and will post other content as well as time goes on. So please follow us on tumblr! (caughtinthegame . tumblr . com)

That's it for now, thanks again for reading my duckies, and we'll see you all next time on Caught in the Game!

-C. C. Stars

 **Edited/Beta by Moirei**

 **Finished & Published November 21, 2017**


	13. From Darkness, Hope Emerges

****Chapter 12- From Darkness, Hope Emerges****

The Darkness is his home. It's all he knows, all he feels, all he sees. He doesn't know what he is - he just knows that he _is_ and that he has to stay in the Darkness. He knows not why. It's just how things are.

As far as he is aware, there is only this cold void and him.

Until suddenly, like it had always been there… there is _more_ in the Darkness than just him.

It's small and round, frail, fading in and out of existence.

It pulses weakly, and when he draws nearer to it, he feels warmth. Suddenly he _feels_ the dark and cold that he had never noticed before, never felt until he felt the pure _warmth_ coming from It.

All at once he knows more. He knows that _it_ is Light and that _it_ is the opposite of Darkness. He knows that _he_ has been waiting for it, and that _he_ must protect _it_ at all cost.

It is his most sacred duty to do so. His mission, his purpose.

Without warning, the Light suddenly dims, and the cold rushes in, draining the warmth away. Panic seizes him.

Darkness swarms the Light, jagged and menacing. It threatens to devour the Light, consume it and take it away from him.

Despair. Rage. Hurt. Sadness.

 _He will not let the Darkness take the Light away from him!_

A haunting, wordless sorrowful cry rings through the air and he reacts on instincts, rushing forwards. He reaches out and curls around the Light, creating a dome with his _self_. He is as shapeless as the Darkness, as fluid and consuming, but he realizes now that he is not the same as it. Similar in nature, but different.

The Darkness snarls, the Light keeps shining. It flashes - a bright burst that lets him _see_ for the briefest of moments - before it goes still and calm again.

It awakens him. He comes to the realization that everything before had been like a daze, a lucid dream and nothing more. Now he is _aware_ and, more importantly, he is _alive_ and in _control_.

The Darkness snarls and quivers, retreating in cautious, angered fear from him as his own darkness surges and lashes out.

 _No harm will befall his Light._

* * *

" _...-and both Yugi and Ryou took their first steps today! We were able to get pictures and video of it! And with how stubborn Serenity is, it won't be long before she does too, she definitely doesn't like being left out."_

Since awakening, he has become aware of _time_. If only because it affects his Light in different ways and it speaks of it.

" _School has been okay. Pretty boring if I'm honest but, that's to be expected. Luckily it's not all boring. Just the things I know already are. Japanese kanji is so hard though. But it's cool to learn the history and other things of the world from this culture's view compared to America's."_

It had been a shock to him, the first time _sound_ reached him. Up until that point, he had only been blessed with the Light's presence and little surges of warmth rushing through him at times. He had been content with it. Just having the Light was enough… or so he thought, until it started speaking.

" _Tea was so awesome! She just flies about the room when she dances. She's so graceful even for her young age."_

" _Tristan has come a long way, he's still shy of course but he's getting more confident. I've noticed that he's definitely a tinkerer, loves to figure out how things work."_

" _Hinata is getting antsy, she's more than ready for ice skating classes to start back up again. She's been baking whenever she can to try and stay calm. No one minds though since she makes awesome treats."_

" _Jou really loves his karate and kendo classes. He's been really getting into them. I'm glad he's found things to channel all of his energy into. It's a good outlet. He makes a great teacher too, he's been showing us all some of the moves he's learned. With adult supervision of course."_

It always starts low. Whispers, like the hissing of the Darkness. But it eventually grows into something _more_ , something _louder_. He cherishes it dearly. Because with the discovery of sound came the feeling of _loneliness_ when the sound is gone. Of the _desire_ to _answer_ the Light and ask questions.

" _Gymnastics and dance have been awesome. We're all learning so much and having fun. There will be a competition for both in a few months, I'm not sure if I'll participate though."_

" _Swimming lessons starts soon, and we're all picking up more activities to do. There's just so much to learn and so little time. The boys have kept up showing us what they learn in their own classes just like we do for them. Jou is still bummed that his parents won't let him take the same classes as the rest of us, but we're all happy to show him what we learn."_

He has so many questions to ask. What is… swimming? Gymnastics? How does one dance? What makes _he_ and _she_ so different? He knows that he is of the former… does that mean that the Light is a _she_? He doesn't know, doesn't understand why it even matters. The Light is the Light. Nothing else.

" _Grandpa has been looking a bit worn and...older lately. I'm getting worried. Hopefully I can talk to Aunt Anzu or one of the other parents. See if we can get him to rest and take a break."_

" _It's been a while…..but I still miss her….."_

" _Ugh! Mahad is awesome but so boring at times! His lessons need more pizazz or something! Thank god for Mana, or else it would be worse. At least they both say Hinata and I are progressing nicely with our magic and language learning."_

Sometimes, when the Light speaks, he will hear other voices with it. Deeper voices, lighter voices, broken voices.

" _I've got a little helper with me today! Go on, Yugi. Say hi to the spirit"._

" _Puz! Puzz-spearit! Hiiiiiii!"_

" _You're so adorable aren't you Yugi? Whose adorable~? You are!"_

" _Isn't he just amazing? My little brother is so smart and clever. Grandpa is over the moon that his first word was puzzle"._

" _How the hell do you keep winning!? This is some magic bs! No one can keep winning like you do! You're not even paying attention to the game! You've got that stupid anime protagonist magic bs going on. It's so not fair."_

" _Well now, it actually is true that the Sun God Ra would cry bees. Now don't give me that look, it's true!"_

" _Ko! You won't believe what Rin's first word was!"_

" _Mama said I can join ballet this year!"_

" _Sorry guys, I got grounded for taking the toaster apart to see how it works."_

" _I'm sorry but, my baby brother is so much more adorable than yours. I mean, look at this precious face and big brown eyes!"_

" _Young Mistress, I really don't think that you should be doing that."_

" _Don't worry, Mahad won't bother us girls, so we can have fun little sun and moon!"_

It's a little confusing at times with all of the voices. But the Light's voice is always constant, even if it remains quiet now and then. Like it's listening, too. Maybe it is.

After some time, he gets used to the voices. To the Light communicating with him, like it knows he's listening. He doubts it.

" _I'm so excited! We start competing again soon for glee! I just know we're gonna win first place this year again!"_

Still, it feels… comforting, to be acknowledged. To be spoken to as if awaiting a response, but with no expectation of him answering. Sometimes the Light asks questions he doesn't know the answer to, because he doesn't know what it is talking about (most of the time, this is the case), but he still tries to answer - if not for the Light, then for himself.

" _Is it considered stealing or plagiarizing if I sing or write the songs first? Should I feel bad for possibly taking away songs and revenue from future artists? They just….need to be shared! I can't wait for them to come out!"_

The Light has so much to share. He can tell by how bright it shines when its voice is enthusiastic. So much spirit and joy and happiness. It's exhilarating.

" _So I've started writing songs and stories down. Hinata is helping too. We don't want to forget them, especially if they never come out here. It would be a shame for people not to get to experience them."_

Sometimes she shares the stories, shares her songs. Those times are the ones he thinks back to the most fondly, whenever it is just him and the silent Darkness again.

" _Running in a crowd, In a faceless town, I need to feel the touch of a friend. In the countryside, I wander far and wide. The isolation gets me again."*_

Happy songs…

" _You are the dawn of a new day that's waking. A masterpiece still in the making. The blue in an ocean of grey. You are right where you need to be. Poised to inspire and to succeed. You'll look back and you'll realize one day"_.*

Lullabies…

" _Tough times, hard climbs~!, We'll take 'em on together~. Right now, let's go!"*_

Inspiring song…

" _I tried so hard, And got so far. But in the end, It doesn't even matter. I had to fall, To lose it all. But in the end, It doesn't even matter~"*_

Even songs of despair and sadness. Those are sung when the Light is the most dim and frail.

" _Cause I'm gonna stand by you. Even if we're breaking down, we can find a way to break through. Even if we can't find heaven, I'll walk through hell with you. Love~, you're not alone, 'cause I'm gonna stand by you!"*_

The Light's voice is hoarse at all time. High and strong, but with an underlying deepness. He wonders how it came to be like that, if it might change.

Then there comes a day where the Light speaks with a voice that is cool and collected. Almost deceptively calm, like it's trying not to break.

" _So… we're getting a new brother and sister later this week. Joey and Serenity's mom, well… she's finally filing for divorce and suing their dad for abuse"_.

He pauses. Abuse… he's not sure what it is. Something inside him tells him it's bad… something about hurting others… but what…

" _It's about time really. I mean, I don't mean that to be rude but it's been a long time coming. I can honestly understand where Sally is coming from but….she's leaving Jou and Rin! They're her kids! She's….ugh! She's no better than Osamu or Yakumo. I know she's trying to do what's best for them, but she's being selfish too… I don't know. It's too hard to not be pissed at her."_

His Light dislikes abandonment. Dislikes people leaving behind their loved ones to do… other things. It has never said so directly, but he wonders… did someone abandon his Light, too? Is that why it is here in the Darkness with him?

" _Anyways. Hopefully Jared will be arrested and even deported back to the states. The drunk bastard deserves it. And Sally… Sally says she wants to study and learn more about herself, so that's at least better? And she says she'll send letters, but… I'm allowing myself a healthy amount of scepticism. Hina's much more optimistic than me on that front"._

Bitterness… so much bitterness in his Light. He's not sure what to think. It is angry… but it is like there is nothing it wants to direct it at, like there usually is.

His Light is conflicted.

" _It's….it's good that she admitted that she's not the best and that she wants to improve and be better for them. That takes courage. It's still hard…."_

More than ever he wishes that he could _do_ something. Could interact with the Voice of the Light. To let it know that he is there, that he hears it and cares.

On a whim he reaches towards it, folding himself around it much closer than he normally does. Tightly, warmly. He tries with all of his might to speak to it, to let it know things will be okay.

 **"** ** **It is okay. I am here, I hear you. I'll protect you"**** **.**

And then… to his great surprise… the Light _jumps_. Flares to life for a moment, more brightly than ever, and the Light gasps and goes quiet, before finally, it whispers a breathy " _oh"_... and then starts yelling.

" _Mahad! Mana! You guys, Oh my god! Grandpa! Hinata! You won't believe it!"_

He leaps back from the Light, circling it curiously. Did that… did he _do_ something to his Light? He panics when thoughts of accidentally hurting his precious Light swarm him. What if he ruined it, what if he's damaged it?

 _It's okay. I'm okay. You didn't do anything wrong._

…..his Light can…. Can feel him? Can sense him?

 _I'm here. I feel you. You're not alone._

Suddenly his Light reaches back and grasps for him, a tiny tendril gently wrapping around him in a mirror of what he's done so often to it.

He feels as if there is a lump in his chest. Something heavy and unpleasant he can't quite describe. So instead he wraps himself around the Light again, tighter than he has ever dared before.

His Light laughs, it's a watery but happy laugh. He feels his Light grasp him tighter and whispers softly.

" _Oh god. Finally. I'm here. I swear. I can feel you. I won't leave you. I promise."_

He wants to laugh, he wants to weep. More than ever before, he longs for a voice of his own. But for now, this will have to do.

And as he is there, basking in the warmth of his most precious Light, his greatest mission and joy, only one thought swirls through his mind.

 ** _ **We are not alone**_** **.**

* * *

*Songs mentioned:

Smile Bomb- YuYu Hakusho opening theme- English ver. Cover by Leeandlie

Wanderer's Lullaby - Adriana Figuerosa/Adrisaurus

Get Your Game On!- YuGiOh GX opening theme- English ver.

In the End- Linkin Park

Stand By You- Rachel Platten

* * *

A/N: I AM BACK. REJOICE, BASK IN MY MAJESTIC INSANITY!

Honored readers, it is _good_ to be back in business. After Hell on Earth™, I have returned to the world of the living. Word of advice: NEVER, EVER procrastinate on something as big as a Bachelor's Project or similar until the last month. I was very lucky that I managed to finish on time, but just barely. So seriously: don't. Finish that shit early. Don't pull a Nordic.

So this chapter was originally meant to be longer. We were just going to have a certain spirit's POV be the first part of the chapter. But well… then we decided to just do a little interlude and give him some much needed screen time of his own. Next chapter marks the beginning of a new Arc, so get ready for that.

Certain things mentioned in this chapter might be explained next time.

In other news, we're going to start making more content. A collection of side-stories for CitG titled "Beyond the Game" will soon be released and, if there's time for it… a new SI-fic. And this time the lovely Moirei will be joining us, partially, as more than just our Beta-reader! Look forward to it!

December 7 marks the day I begin my Christmas Holidays, so there'll be much more time to write for me. No university stuff until January for me~

Thank you all so much for reading, reviewing and following CitG. I hope you'll all have a happy holiday, no matter what you celebrate or if you celebrate at all.

-NordicTwin

 ** **A/N:****

Hello my Ducklings! Look at this! A fast update!

We had plans for this chapter to be different but then thought, why not show some of Yami/Atem's pov? We were gonna do it in small bits but decided we liked this better.

So this chapter starts when Youko gets the puzzle and it awakens Yami/Atem back in Chapter 9. It takes place over the next few chapters as time goes by. It ends some time after the end of last chapter and the beginning (possibly) of next chapter.

If you can't guess who is speaking at the different times that's okay, neither does Yami/Atem. So it fits.

A welcome back to Nordic from her hell of uni work. She deserves this much needed break. And the lovely Moirei also starts her own much deserved break soon as well. :)

As Nordic said, we have a side story that will be set up called "Beyond the Game" (or BtG) that will have any "missing" scenes. Things that we weren't able to get into the chapters, things that you may want to see, or whatever.

As she also mentioned (and I did as well last chapter), we got sucked into a new fandom. Or rather, I read and got sucked in, then dragged both Nordic and Moirei down into the fandom hell with me. All three of us have been brainstorming and planning a fic for the fandom for a month or so now. So keep an eye out for that. (We will keep you posted on that too.) it'll be another SI-fic, but it should be good. Especially since lovely Moirei is joining us in actual planning and writing instead of just being the beta-reader. So that's another thing to look forward to.

(So go out and read/watch the Nanatsu no Taizai/Seven Deadly Sins series!)

I've still been busy with work (2 part time jobs can be draining) and unfortunately lots of family issues have popped up lately, so it's been even more stressful and tough. I do have some wonderful news though! I am training to be the new general manager of my store! So that means only 1 job and I'll get weekends and evening back again! And better pay! So happy! TwT it will be longer weekday hours but it'll be worth it.

Shoutout to all of the people who viewed and all of our current followers and faves and our new followers and favorites (zapper990, JReptile101, Selena Moonlighty, RedEyesInferno, M.J. , animemania659, Lusalma, and The BW) And thanks to everyone who left Kudos!

And **EXTRA** thank yous and love to Flaremage, Waves, Lightsbane1905, and Guest for the reviews/comments!

Please, _PLEASE_ leave us comments and reviews, especially if you have any questions or are confused! We love them so very much! We get so motivated to write when we get reviews!

Thanks again to the amazingly talented and lovely Moirei for Beta-ing for us, as always :)

Also, don't forget about our Caught in the Game Tumblr blog! We post links to the chapters there and will post other content as well as time goes on. So please follow us on tumblr! (caughtinthegame . tumblr . com)

That's it for now, thanks again for reading duckies, and we'll see you all next time on Caught in the Game!

-C. C. Stars

 ** **Edited/Beta by Moirei****

 ** **Finished & Published December 5, 2017****


	14. The Cogs of Fate (Rebuild Arc)

**Chapter 13- The Cogs of Fate...**

She doesn't want to be there.

She despises being in this situation with all of her heart. She has no words for the humiliation and shame and disgust with herself that she's feeling.

But it's necessary. She needs to do this. And these people have proven trustworthy.

She is seated in the Taylor kitchen with Solomon Mutou, the Taylors and the Gardners, looking stiffly into a mug of tea as she tells them _everything_. From her teenage pregnancy _(her worst mistake)_ to Jared's abuse and addiction to her own failure as a parent and so on and so forth. The list is long.

At least they were already aware of what a terrible mother she is. It doesn't make her feel any less like scum. She supposes that's a good thing though, at least she actually feels, and feels awful about all she's done.

In the end, the other people don't say much. Adam is nodding and muttering under his breath about the paperwork and Anzu is holding her hand. Suzuki is frowning and Todd is pacing. Solomon just sits there with a blank expression on his face.

Solomon is the one to break the silence.

"So from what I'm understanding… you wish to go to university, now? Get the education you wanted in the first place?"

Sally nods her confirmation.

"What of young Joey and Serenity, then? You cannot keep up a full time study and job at the same time and still care for them adequately".

Here she feels a surge of guilt and shame again. She keeps her eyes locked onto the steaming cup of tea in her hands, unable to look at any of them. "I….that's another reason why I'm here with you all….I-..."

Solomon just nods calmly, silently urging her to go on. She takes a deep breath.

"I know I'm a terrible mother and that I'm not ready to be one yet. I _want_ to be a good mother but….I can't be. Not right now…."

Selfish… she feels so selfish.

Children are a gift. Little miracles.

Why, oh why, can't that just be enough to her?

Why did it take her so long to realize it? She has acted like her parents. Treated her children how she was. She can vividly recall the day she screamed at her parents, telling them that she would never be like them. That she would treat her children how she wished she had been.

How could she ever see _him_ in her little Joey? Brave, righteous, stubborn, little Joey? How could she leave him behind with such ease, all those years ago?

She pauses, swallowing back tears. She can see the concern and confusion flitting across their faces. She looks to Solomon again who nods at her in encouragement. She takes a deep breath and strengthens her resolve. This is for them as much as it is her.

"I….I want you to adopt them Solomon. You are so wonderful with the kids and they adore you. All of you would be there for them and would be able to give them what they need. Give them more than that, even…"

Their reactions are instantaneous. She can see the shock, anger, sadness, and understanding even. She raises her hands, stalling anyone from speaking.

"I know you all would take care of them. Would raise and love them well. Better than I can….I know that-..."

She stops, unable to speak her mind clearly.

Sally looks around the room at everyone, trying to gauge their reactions and feelings. She feels a pang of sadness at the empty places where Marie and Yume would, _should_ be sitting. She can imagine just what their reactions would be still. Yume would be tearful and comforting while Marie would be worked up in a frenzy. Torn between anger at her and rage at her situation and Jared.

She bows her head.

"I don't intend to be gone forever," she says quietly. "I still want to be in their lives. Visit, send presents, write letters. But I can't care for them. Not like they deserve. I can't be the parent they are entitled to".

Maybe one day, but not now.

"Please… help me see them grow up happy and healthy. You've all been more parents to them than I have, Joey most of all. I'm too bitter and resentful. Too hurt to love and care for them. I need to heal first."

 _If only things had been different… if only she had been able to stand up for herself… if… if… if…_

"I….I know that this is selfish of me to do and it's for me that I'm doing it. But….it's for them that I'm doing this too."

She finishes her defense and awaits judgment.

She hopes they'll agree.

 _Please. Please. Please._

* * *

In his work as a psychologist, he never expected to be personally involved with so many of his clients and so many cases related to them. Especially not children.

Truthfully, he's not even a certified children's psychologist, but damn it all, these kids trust him more than they ever would _any_ other therapist. That's why the board of health is letting him get away with taking them on as patients, after he's explained the situations.

Because gods be damned do these kids need it.

Youko and Hinata… death of one parent followed by the abandonment of the other. Joey… a life of neglect and abuse, though through no lack of trying to parent from the mother's side… at least since young Serenity's birth.

It's a mess.

Sometimes, he lays awake at night. Lost in his head, thinking of these fractured but brave and strong children. Thinks of all the "what if's" and "why cant's" until he falls asleep.

He's not a religious man. But sometimes he wonders at whether there is some deity or fate that is messing with his family. That is causing all of this sorrow and heartache. (He wants there to be some nights, because then he can one day give them a piece of his mind). (He's not a violent man, either, but he'd also like them to greet his fist now and then).

Youko copes by throwing herself into her music, caring for Yugi and working on that puzzle Solomon gave her. She's doing so well, he's so proud of her. Solomon was wise to give her something to work on, something to take her mind off of what's been going on in her life. Sure, she's a little odd at times, but that's not anything psychological, he believes, just her personality.

Hinata copes by baking and skating as she cares for Ryouichi. Two things her mother and sister both loved to do. By themselves and all together as a family. It's perhaps not the best, but she's not like most children and seems to be handling it all very well.

Joey…. Joey's always known that what happened in his home was wrong, especially compared to the life he saw his friends led. He's not coping, so much as he's quick to adapt.

When Todd first saw Joey, he could instantly tell how guarded and lonely the boy was. How untrusting and resigned he was. He thinks that Youko was and is a gift from the heavens for Joey. Her friendship helped ground him, helped him to open up and trust others. How to tell what's right and wrong. And through Youko, Joey gained friends and a family with the others.

They're all cracked and bruised. They've all been hurt and abandoned.

But they are not weak or broken.

They continue to grow and bond with each passing day.

And like the art of _kintsugi*_ , these broken pots will be repaired with gold and come out all the more beautiful and strong for it.

Hopefully it will give them something a little special. Something stronger, something magical. And when it happens, well…

Todd doesn't know what it is, but they will change the world one day.

* * *

In an amazing turn of events, Joey's life doesn't get destroyed as completely in this world as it did in canon.

Which is amazing, Hinata thinks, because it's done a mighty fine job of screwing _them_ over several times already.

Sally is a much better person in this world compared to her canon counterpart. Granted, she's still not the best, but she's miles ahead of canon Sally.

And while Youko may be angry with her and her decision… Hinata takes on a much more neutral role. She makes the choice to accept the decision as the one that, ultimately, has resulted in the most people being happy.

It doesn't mean she has to like it… but she can accept it. (She is surprised that Youko accepts it too, to a point. She's still very angry though. Another stark reminder at how similar yet opposite she and Youko are.)

Hinata does know that Youko, and everyone in their family for that matter, are happy that Jared was finally arrested.

Mr. Gardner was more than happy to help Sally file her divorce papers and fight to have Jared deported. It might have been tactless, but they even threw a little party once it was over and he was out of the country with a ban on returning.

Now they are all waiting for the divorce papers to finalize and Sally is waiting to hear back from the university she applied to. The adults have all helped her find an apartment, job, and studying for her tests.

Hinata pauses in her walk home.

A lot has happened and a lot more will. She just doesn't know how prepared they will be for everything. She frowns before shaking her head and continuing on home.

It's best not to think about that now. She should be more focused on that she's heading home from her last skating classes for the season. It's still cold and windy out, but that's the way it goes.

Spring is on its way, and with a small spring in her step, she heads towards the train station, humming under her breath. She is in no danger of being snatched up and stolen - Mana is right behind her, like the loyal guardian she is, humming a harmony to her aimless melody.

She's a block away from the station when she hears it, when she _feels_ it.

Hinata freezes, not moving an inch as her eyes widen.

"Mana….what's that?" She asks softly. Not sure if she should be afraid or not. She doesn't wait for a response, because she feels whatever she felt again. Something in her says it's safe, so she scrambles off to the side into the alley.

She hears Mana cry out in shock before following after her.

She finds it huddled up near a vent spewing out hot air.

A snake.

A tiny, white snake, no longer than the length of her forearm, from the tips of her fingers to her elbow.

The poor thing is dirty and limp, almost lifeless as it stares at her with dark eyes, little tongue peeking out every so often.

"Oh…." she breaths. Because it's not a breed of snake you see anywhere in Japan, especially not in cities. She knows for sure that it's a desert snake.

" _Could it have possibly escaped from a pet store?"_ She thinks in confusion, carefully reaching a gloved hand towards it.

"Little Moon, I don't think you should touch it…" Mana murmurs from behind her.

"It's okay Mana." She answers distractedly, "it feels….safe. The snake is lonely and cold. It feels….familiar. Like….it feels like how Youko described the feeling she gets from Panther Lily."

The snake raises its head and slowly moves to wrap around her fingers, then up her sleeve to settle against her wrist like a bizarre bracelet.

She moves her arm carefully and holds it to her chest protectively. She slowly rises and turns to Mana, giving a sheepish grin that is more Youko than herself. "So….who do you think will freak out more? Grandpa or Mahad?" She asks the wary spirit.

"You have to asks Little Moon?" Mana asks in incredulous amusement. "We both know the answer to that."

" _Let's just hope he doesn't pop a blood vessel."_ Hinata thinks as the two make their way back to the station.

* * *

"No. Absolutely not."

"Pleeeeeaaaaseee?"

"No, not in three millennia. More than that".

"...his name is Diabound."

"No".

"Look at his cute little emoji face! He looks like he's doing the kitty-face!"

":3"

"Oh my god he does! He's such a cute boy! Whose a smart little Diabound? Lily make that face too!"

"..."

"Okay that's mean. Don't ignore me, I give you scratches and treats Mister."

"Don't name him, you'll get attached. You're NOT keeping him- it! Not keeping IT!"

"He's cracking!"

"No I'm not!"

"Now he's yelling! Keep it up little sun and moon!"

"Mana do _not_ encourage them!"

"C'mon Mahad! It's not fair that I get Lily but she doesn't get her own pet familiar!"

Mahad is glaring at the animal curled up under Hinata's desk lamp on a hot water bottle. It's drinking water out of a little bowl and generally being adorable beyond belief.

All three woman know he knows it.

"It could be diseased," he says, glaring at it.

Hinata gasps dramatically. "Mahad, how could you _say_ such a thing!? My Diabound is _not_ diseased!"

"Besides," Youko adds in with a smug grin. "You said that about Lily, too, and he was just fine after we took him to the vet for a check-up".

A loud hiss is heard from said cat who has rolled over to glare at Mahad from his sprawled out position on Youko's lap.

"One animal is bad enough, but _his_ spirit animal is unacceptable. I know exactly what it is. _NO."_

Hinata quirks an eyebrow up. "In case you hadn't noticed, Dark Magician, we're working hard to try to _fix_ that particular issue. And what better starting point than his spirit animal?"

"It could be poisonous!" The mage argues vehemently.

"Then he'll bite and poison our enemies!"

"Mistress, _please…"_

"Besides. Diabound seems to like me and came to me. There's a reason for it."

"And we don't-!"

"I think, young man, that you're fighting a losing battle." Grandpa's amused voice cuts in from the doorway. "And you know it. Our girls have you wrapped around their fingers. Why don't you admit defeat with some dignity still remaining."

"Ouch, that's harsh Grandpa."

"I call it like I see it my Sunshine."

That gets barks of laughter from the two girls.

"So…..can I keep him then?" Hinata asks when she's able to catch her breath.

Mahad just sighs in defeat as Grandpa nods his head.

"We will go and buy him a terrarium tomorrow. Get him a nice heating lamp and a few rocks to lounge on".

"Oh! We can ask Aunt Anzu and Aunt Suzuki if they can help sew some special pockets in our clothes for him to curl up in too!"

"Yes, that too. But right now I think you both have schoolwork to do."

* * *

They introduce Diabound one day after school a few days later.

Their friends love him and shower him in a lot of attention and love. The little guy eats it up and preens at every bit of praise. Of course it's a little disgusting to feed him mice and the like, but in that way Lily and he form a solid partnership in keeping all mice away from their entire street: Lily catches them, Diabound eats them.

(If Youko and Hinata both awaken, sometimes, when the night is at its darkest, to the sound of hissing and spitting and strange, warbled squeaks of pain and fury… they don't speak of it. They just lie perfectly still, only going back to sleep once Youko feels the soft weight of Lily curling up against her head and hears his purrs, and Hinata feels the cold touch of a snake settling around her neck).

Mana and Mahad can't always be there. They do have other responsibilities to attend to and other things in the world to keep an eye on. So it's a great comfort, especially on those darker nights, to have Lily and Diabound.

If there is anything Youko wouldn't have expected, though, it would be for Lily and Diabound (affectionately abbreviated to Dia once they discover the light diamond pattern on his back) to be such good friends. When not in his terrarium (which he, somehow, always manages to escape constantly), Dia can be found hanging out with and on Lily, doing various things such as napping, bothering Mahad (much to the mages annoyance) and generally being more cute than should be legal.

The two also tend to curl up and cuddle with little Ryouichi and Yugi more often than not. You can even sometimes find them on Grandpa as he does work around the house and store. (Nothing is more amusing watching him go about his business with a cat on his shoulders and a snake peeking out from one of his shirt pockets.)

All in all, Diabound is a welcomed addition to the family.

* * *

Not too long after Diabound moves in, they decide to come clean to Grandpa about a lot of things. What they know, what they can tell, and _very_ little about how they know it. (They try to push it off on dreams and Mahad and Mana, but Mutou Solomon is a clever man with a mind to be feared - they can tell he doesn't quite believe their story, but actively decides to go along with it anyways).

The more surprising, or maybe it should be unsurprising, is that he believes them. And not only does he believe them, he takes them seriously.

Within days of telling Grandpa, he's contacted old colleagues and acquaintances to look into magic from all over the world. Even some of Osamu's old colleagues at the university, who agree within seconds of learning who is interested in the information. (Now, if only they would just hand it over without adding on a ton of empty apologies that only serve to make themselves feel better… at least all the candy and toys they send with it is nice).

Soon, they have a small library of books and tomes filled with spells, history, and theories on magic. Many are old and in old languages, with Mana and Mahad's help, they are able to translate them.

They gain a valuable teacher, comrade, and confidant in Grandpa. It's a weight lifted from their already heavy burden to have him help them prepare for the dark and dangerous future that is coming.

* * *

The months pass by slowly, yet also so incredibly quickly. Before long, the Wheeler family has been through its own collapse and is well on its way to be re-made into something fundamentally different, but ultimately better and stronger.

Thanks to the situation, the divorce papers are finalized rather quickly and soon after that the papers that declare Joey and Serenity the foster, and a few months later adopted, children of Grandpa.

After that, Sally leaves them in April to start-over her life and do some growing up of her own.

And thus the Muoto family grows again. (And once the adoptions are finalized, Joey and Serenity take on the name Muoto-Wheeler, like Hinata and Ryou took on Muoto-Bakura.)

It actually ends up being somewhat of a media spectacle. The local newspapers eat up the dirty divorce case, pulling in local politicians to talk about immigration and how to avoid cases like the one of Sally and Jared. And then, when they discover that the kids stuck in the case go to the same man who took in the remaining children of the woman who died in that horrible accident… when they also realize that he's been raising his own grandchildren alone since the death of his daughter-in-law and his own son abandoning his children, well…

They somehow become media darlings overnight.

The girls aren't too sure if it's a good thing or not, but they do their best to act well in front of the media for Grandpa. They encourage and help the others do the same. (Unfortunately with so many eyes on them, Mahad and Mana are unable to be around as much during the day. But they do help them by placing protective spells around the house and family so they can't be stalked or anything by crazy media vultures.)

Their classmates don't really react all that much. Some try to endear themselves to them, so they can share in the attention, some try to bully them for having the attention at all. Neither of these groups keep it up for long.

The rest of the kids really don't care at all. There are a few words of sympathy and questions to how they feel, but other than that things are the same.

It stays like this for several months before dying down. They're all recognizable and random people will greet them, but they're mostly left alone.

Through the months of chaos and change, they all grow closer together.

It's a challenge though. Because of so many kids in the house to care for, money becomes tight. Grandpa does his best to meet all of their needs, and he does, though it's just barely enough now and then. The three older ones take to helping where they can. Taking on more chores, helping more with the little siblings, etc. The Taylor's and Gardner's also help out with things, helping to ease the burden on Grandpa.

Interestingly enough, because of the media and becoming the hero, and the darlings of the media, they get help from strangers too.

Business picks up from people coming to see their odd family and end up buying games after being charged by them all. Anonymous people donate money to them all for groceries and the like. Any specific money sent to a specific child is put into a bank account for college and emergencies.

It's not a lot of money to last them a long time, but it's enough to help during the tough times.

One of the biggest events to ever happen that year comes on November 21st, when they all pitch in with their allowances and buy two Gameboy Advanced and a copy of Pokemon Ruby and Pokemon Sapphire.

Youko cries tears of joy when she puts the cartridge into the machine and the opening sequence plays.

Mahad and Mana are confused by the excitement for the game until Youko and Hinata tell them about it and recall things from their first childhoods.

Youko fondly tells them of playing her baby cousins Ruby version when she was young. How she had no idea what she was doing and stumbled along the game but loved it.

Hinata shares her own misadventures in playing and figuring out Pokémon, her first version having been Leaf Green.

They both tell of the games that would come out, the features they loved (like customizing your character and being able to play and interact with your Pokémon). They share of the show and their own thoughts and ideas for what they would have loved to happen. Favorite characters are talked about and teasing is given. They lastly tell, with tear filled eyes, the pure happiness and joy when Pokémon Go came out. How it brought people together and how for that short time after it was released, the world was a bit happier of a place.

From this, the two mages gain a better understanding of the girls and, in turn, Mahad and Mana tell them of stories from their own childhoods in Egypt. It's a good night and they all become even closer. (On some nights, they take to playing the game with each guardian to show them how amazing it is.)

It's a nice way for them to relax and unwind. To allow themselves to be the children they're supposed to be, not future champions of the gods.

And through all the heartache, loss, chaos, and destruction, they rebuild their lives. Come out stronger and better. They fall into a new sense of normalcy and routine rather quickly, taking each day as it comes. Maybe they don't have much… so what? They've got warmth and security, and Youko and Hinata agree to focus on the present while they're in it. They still prepare for the future, but ultimately live in the now.

They're ordinary for now. And that's really all they want.

.

.

.

.

Of course, that all changes one otherwise peaceful morning two years after the last family crisis while Youko is watching the news and eating breakfast.

* * *

Youko actually manages to keep herself from doing a spit take with her cereal when two very familiar faces appear on the morning news.

Especially because of the resemblance they bear to her mother.

 _It can't be… could it really…?_

She is out of her chair and rushing towards the stairs leading down to the shop, for once not caring about how much noise she makes, yelling: "Graaaaandpaaaaa! Hurry, we need to call Uncle Adam, _now_!"

Back on the little TV in the kitchen, the morning news replays the short clip of Gozaburo Kaiba leaving an orphanage with two little boys in tow.

Seto and Mokuba.

 _Well… shit._

* * *

* _Kintsugi_ or _kintsukuroi_ is the art of mending broken pottery with lacquer that has either been dusted or mixed with gold, silver or platinum.

* * *

A/N: Well… from one shit hitting the fan to another, I guess.

Dear readers, welcome back to not just another chapter of Caught in the Game, but to a new mini-arc in the series: the Rebuild Arc. I say mini-arc, because with the past Collapse Arc, these following chapters make up the Collapse and Rebuild Arc in which families are broken and mend themselves together again.

So! Like in canon, Sally divorces her husband and leaves Domino City, but this time it's without separating her children and ensuring that they both get a happy childhood. She will still be around from time to time, but it will mostly be brief mentions when she sends letters or, on occasion, visits. So she's not _exactly_ out of the story, but she's more of a minor character than ever. Fun fact: in our initial planning, Sally was actually going to take Serenity with her and hand over custody of Joey to Grandpa, only for Grandpa to fight Sally in court over that decision. We like this development much better, though.

Also, sudden jump-cut 2 years ahead and voila! Introducing the Kaiba brothers for real :3c. A quick reminder that we headcanon those two as being cousins of the Mutous. By this point, the kids are at the following ages: The Gang - 9 years old, the future Domino Quartet (Yuugi, Ryou, Serenity and Mokuba) are 5 years old and Seto is 10. So canon ages.

Introducing Diabound, too. He may be a tiny snake now, but he'll grow into a great and powerful monster in due time. It was fun creating the dialogue between Mahad and the girls and thinking up a personality for both him and Panther Lily. (We might do pet-POV later on).

Pokémon enters the kids' lives, too. What, you think we're only nerds for a manga about a card game? Puh-lease, we're massive nerds in general, especially for pokémon. (Just ask a certain co-writer who has the most RIDICULOUS luck over Wonder Trade).

On an unrelated note, you may recall last AN that I was rejoicing over finishing my Bachelor-project for university. I have since then gotten a response to it, and I am proud to announce that it ended with a B ^_^ (In the Danish system, that's the second-highest you can get - a 10. We don't have minuses and pluses to add to our grade). So happy I literally screamed.

Also a quick reminder that we've got a new collection of side stories up, too, now! Go check out Beyond the Game if you haven't already! We've got one story up so far, but we may just do a little something special for Christmas one of these days :)

On a final note, we're also very happy to announce that our new SI-fanfiction for the manga/anime "The Seven Deadly Sins" is soon ready for publication - just need our Beta, Moirei, to look over it. You don't need to know the series to understand it… okay, you might for some things, but know that we intend to take a sledgehammer to canon there, too, like we do here.

With that said, I hope you guys have a very happy and safe holiday season and can go into the new year without any major injuries.

Till next year!

-NordicTwin

 _A/N:_

 _Hello, hello Ducklings. I hope you had a wonderful Christmas/Hanukkah with your families._

 _Welcome back to Caught in the Game!_

 _After so many things happening with the adults, we decided to redeem one and change the anime stereotype about parents. So Sally gets help and is much better here than in canon. She's still not the best but she is still growing and changing like everyone does throughout their lives._

 _We also decided it was time to give another pov of things. Thus, we give you Todd Taylor's pov. It shows more of the girls from what they don't see if themselves. We want the remaining parents to be involved as much as possible with things. It makes no sense that in practically every anime/manga series, the parents are never seen or involved._

 _Also introducing Diabound! Nordic and I had the best time writing the exchange between Mahad and the girls. (He is so far into denial about how much power the girls actually have over him.) Diabound and Lilly will get along like a house on fire. The best of friends and protectors to the girls and family._

 _Grandpa has been brought in on what's going on. He's old and well learned and seen much in his life. He will be a great help to the girls. (You also see where Youko gets some of her being a little shit from)_

 _The media and reporters are vultures. The families get to deal with them for a while. But this will serve a good purpose later on._

 _And bam! Pokémon! (Nordic and my other friends hate my amazing luck with wonder trade. And when I say amazing, I mean "how in gods name" good luck.) Woo! Nordic and I are total nerds. Be prepared to get a shit ton of references for many things from our own childhoods. ;)_

 _And here is also a time skip. It was needed. We've been dragging this out a bit much. So we're trying to get to canon as quick as possible without missing important things. So two years have passed. The gang are now 9 and 5 years old at the end. (With Seto being 10)_

 _Enter the Kaiba brothers! (As Nordic said, we both headcanon that Seto and Mokuba are cousins to Yugi.) So get ready for this next bundle of a mess they get to go through._

 _Shoutout to all of the people who viewed and all of our current followers and faves and our new followers and favorites (CherryDrug, Melody Smiles, Loki Sloth, GlaresThatKill, Ayame Tendou, ApolloGeek27, and Anutanuta) And thanks to everyone who left Kudos!_

 _And_ _ **EXTRA**_ _thank yous and love to Flaremage, Waves, Lightsbane1905, The Otaku Lady Priya, usagi-no-usotsuki, and GlaresThatKill for the reviews/comments!_

 _Please, PLEASE leave us comments and reviews, especially if you have any questions or are confused! We love them so very much! We get so motivated to write when we get reviews!_

 _Thanks again to the amazingly talented and lovely Moirei for Beta-ing for us, as always :)_

 _Also! We have our side story, Beyond the Game, up for CitG! So any missing scenes or the like will be posted there! And don't forget to check out the CitG tumblr blog as well, we post links to the chapters and if we remember, we post chapter progress. We will also post other little things now and then when we can._

 _One final things is our joyous announcement for another fic we just posted! It's for the manga/anime series "The Seven Deadly Sins/Nanatsu no Taizai". It'll be a SI-fic as well. You'll probably need some knowledge of the series to understand anything. But be warned, we're gonna DESTROY canon and fix it. Cause it needs it seriously. The series has such potential and it's all wasted sadly. (I'll stop here so I don't go off on a rant)_

 _ANYWAYS, please go check out our new fic called "Judgement of Our Sins"! It is posted on my account._

 _Again, I hope and pray that you are all well and happy and have a wonderful holiday and a Happy New Years._

 _See you all next year!_

 _-C. S. Star_

 **Edited/Beta by Moirei**

 **Finished & Published December 26, 2017**


	15. Are Ever Turning

**Chapter 14- ….Are Ever Turning**

" _Damn, Hinata was right about us actually being related. She's never gonna let me live this down"._

Youko doesn't know what to do. Doesn't know what she _should_ do. If she even _can_ do anything.

After showing the news report to her grandfather and remarking on the uncanny resemblance the boys have to her mother, their home had been a flurry of movement well into the evening.

She isn't cut off from the process _exactly_ , but… she's not quite a part of it, either. It feels a bit like disassociating - she's there, kind of, but not really. Mostly she just sits quietly in her room with Joey, Hinata and the little ones, working on the puzzle. Yugi is in her lap, Hinata is reading to Ryou and Joey is in the middle of a heated pokémon battle with Serenity. (From the sound of it, Joey is losing, too).

A small hand grabs her wrist when she picks up a piece of the puzzle. She looks down and meets Yugi's eyes. (They're so big and purple and he is _so_ cute, she loves him).

"Are you mad, Nee-chan?" He asks her, worry colouring his voice.

"No, I'm not mad my Little Star, just….worried." She says in a soothing voice as she runs her fingers through his hair.

He leans back against her chest and reaches up to pat her cheek. "'Bout what? Money? Those boys? The magical spirit?"

"All of those things. Mainly the boys." She murmurs while going back to the puzzle. "The man that they are with, he's not a nice or good man Yugi. So I'm worried that he's hurting them."

"Like Joey and Renny's papa hurt their mama?" The question gets the attention of the other little kids in the room, momentarily interrupting the bonding moments for a much more serious discussion.

"Somewhat Little Star. You know people can hurt others with their words just like they can with their hands. I'm worried that he's hurting them that way, words are the strongest and most painful weapons out there."

"Like the bad teacher they fired last month for bullying Benkei-kun!" Ryou adds in, a furious expression on his face.

"Yes Little Mage. Just like that." Hinata says with tight voice. The girls don't let show how they felt about the situation. (Though they do share a look, a promise not to tell how they and Mahad dealt with the teacher. Amazing what nightmares can do to a person.)

"Well we'll help them then, right Ko?" Joey asks as he and Serenity move to join her and Yugi. They each grab a piece of the puzzle and polish it before handing them to Youko to try and fit together.

Hinata and Ryou both join them as well moments later and they also take a piece to polish and caress.

"The one our age has really nice long hair like me, but black!" Ryou chirps happily, then. "You think he'd let me play with it? I've gotten really good at braids!"

"Maybe not at once, Ryou-chan," Hinata says. "He might not be as comfortable with people touching his hair as you. Remember to always ask permission and that…?"

" **No means no. It's their body, they get the final say,"** all three younger siblings chorus.

"Very good!" Youko says happily. All three blush and smile proudly, and the afternoon passes swiftly. Especially when Tea and Tristan end up joining them, when Anzu and Suzuki arrive with a late lunch for the men running themselves ragged in the living room.

The children all share looks before pouncing on the adults, being affectionate and loving. They do their best to help the adults relax.

Later, before bedtime, Grandpa tells her, Hinata and Joey that he's doing everything he can to contact whoever handled the boys' case.

"We're going to get them home, I promise".

* * *

Solomon has never felt more his actual age then he has in the past two weeks. And that's coming from someone who has cheated death more than he'd care to admit. (He calls himself an archaeologist, others would call him a tomb raider and a fortune hunter).

He's lost his wife and daughter in law. His son abandoned him and his grandchildren. His adopted daughter is killed in an accident with his oldest granddaughter. His adopted son goes crazy and leaves his other grandchildren. His two granddaughters are somehow involved with dark magic and are fated to be in danger and to play a game the gods have made for them.

And despite all of that heartache and hardship, none of that has settled so deep into his bones and made him feel weary than the whole situation with his grandsons. (He doesn't care that there is no blood between him and them. They are _his_ grandchildren. Cousins to his little sun and star. Children of his beloved daughter's twin. They. Are. _His._ )

*Kurashi Seto and Kurashi Mokuba. Now bearing the name of that sleazy weapons manufacturer.

 _Kaiba._

Even in his young days, that name left a bitter taste in his mouth. Seeing Kaiba Gozaburo named as one of the biggest names in both gaming and business year after year after year just never sat right with him.

Lies and deceit, murder and exploitation, that's what that name means.

(And the weasel isn't even that good at games, only chess. Chess! Anyone with a decent sense for strategy and a good game-face can master that game. It's no more difficult than a children's card game or something!)

He would rather sell his soul to the demons then let those boys stay with that man, direct blood-relation or not. These children who Yume would have adored with all of her heart, who deserve so much more.

A hand lands on his shoulder, and he looks up to meet the gaze of the lawyer Adam had recommended to him (to avoid a biased view on the case). Her smile is confident and reassuring, and Solomon feels grateful that she would come all the way from Bunkyo to Domino City, on the opposite side of Tokyo.

"We'll get them home, Mutou-san, don't worry. It'll be difficult, but I am nothing if not tenacious," she says, doing a "V" sign with her free hand. "We can do this - I won't give up until those boys are with their proper family".

Solomon smiles back. He likes the sound of that.

They're getting their boys _home_.

* * *

Fact number 1: Seto has no idea what's going on.

Fact number 2: every time he hasn't know what's been going on, his life has taken a turn for the worse.

Fact number 3: whatever is happening has had Gozaburo even more angry than usual, but somehow less abusive - at least physically. Instead, he has switched to upping the verbal beatings.

Conclusion: something bad is going to happen, and soon. If his suspicions are correct, they are most likely related to himself and Mokuba, based on the tense atmosphere whenever he sits in on a meeting (so every meeting for the past month, maybe a month and a half).

And now here they are, in a meeting room in Domino City's district court, accompanied only by Roland, an officer and a lawyer who hasn't explained much beyond someone having requested to meet with them, waiting for said person to arrive.

Mokuba's hand is small and cold in his, gripping him so hard his knuckles turn white, but all Seto does is squeeze him back just as tightly, because it's been weeks since they last saw each other properly and without the burning gaze of their "father" or one of their tutors monitoring their every move, and he's missed him _so much_.

 _He never wanted for this to happen._

 _He just wanted Mokuba safe and protected. For his baby brother to be loved like he deserves._

The door opens and a woman in business attire enters. She smiles at them and bows politely, before holding her hand out for a handshake. "Kaiba Seto and Kaiba Mokuba? I'm *Fujioka Kotoko. I'm here on behalf of my client Mutou Solomon and will be handling all legal affairs between him and the Kaiba Corporation".

Seto keeps himself from gaping (he can't afford to show any emotion, can't afford to act in any other way than professional. Not with Roland and the lawyer right behind him). Everyone who has ever been in the system, no, even before that, knows of the many cases concerning the Mutou, Bakura and Wheeler-families. Near horror-stories of death, abuse, abandonment and the kindness of the elderly shop-owner who took in four children not related to him, on top of caring for his biological grandchildren.

He feels Mokuba jump in shock, but aside from that he keeps still and quiet, too.

"Can you tell me what is going on? Why does Mutou-San want to meet my brother and I?" Seto asks faintly, shock still going through his system.

Fujioka smiles at them and nods to the door, prompting the man himself to enter the room, before they both take a seat. "We'll get to that in a moment. Let's see…" she grabs a heavy folder from her bag and opens it on the table in front of them. "Kurashi Seto and Kurashi Mokuba. Born as the only children of Kurashi Kaname and Kurashi Shizukana. After their death, you were placed under the care of your paternal uncle and aunt due to your mother having no living relatives _found_ after a… let's call it a _less than stellar search_ , who then later gave you over to Domino City Municipal Orphanage. Is any of this information incorrect, young Kaiba-kun?"

"No Fujioka-san, that all sounds correct." He replies with a frown. Why were they asking for all of this? What was going on?

Seto dares not to let the small bit of hope he feels grow.

Fujioka's expression turns from cheerful and friendly to professional in the mere blink of an eye as she closes the folder and presents them with another. "Well, it turns out that your case-worker was partaking in a few monetary _donations_ that he shouldn't have at the time, and it greatly affected how your case was run. In reality, you do have a few biological relatives left on your mother's side".

That stubborn bit of hope flares to life in his chest. _Family_. They have family.

Seto bites back tears and squashes the hope. It's all too good to be true.

"How do we know that your family? What proof do you have? Why did you suddenly come forward only now?" He demands, _why weren't you there for us sooner_ , is left unsaid but somehow heard.

Solomon Mutou's eyes turn sad at his questions, hands folding on the table. And finally the man speaks.

"I have no words for how sorry I am, young Seto and Mokuba, that I haven't been able to find you sooner," he says, looking at them calmly. "But make no mistake - I, we, have been searching for you since before your aunt Yume, my daughter-in-law, died 5 years ago".

Aunt. Daughter-in-law. Dead.

So there is no blood relation between them and this man. Not directly.

"Then how are you sure we're family? We have no blood between us." Mokuba asks softly, speaking for the first time since they arrived.

Mutou smiles at them and reaches down to pick up a small folder full of photos. He ruffles through them for a moment, before showing them a particular photo. "Because your mama and our Yume were identical twins, and you bear a striking resemblance to the both of them, Seto-kun".

He holds back a gasp at the sight of the women, teenagers really, in the photo. The one of the right is, undeniable, his mother. Young, healthy and happy in a way he never saw her with their own family.

It's all in the hair, the shape and colour of the eyes, the face… it's a little like looking into a mirror. His hand, the one not clinging to Mokuba, shakes as he lifts the photo.

The other woman, while identical to his mother, also has some small features that are easy for him to spot and tell them apart.

Another picture is pushed towards them. "And these two are your biological cousins, little Youko and Yugi. She's a year younger than you, Seto-kun, and Mokuba-kun and Yugi-chan should be about the same age".

"She looks like the sun!" Mokuba exclaims when he catches sight of them.

Somehow she does, Seto mentally agrees.

The girl is tiny with bright, golden bangs framing her face and big, purple eyes brimming with happiness and mischief.

"Look at their pretty eyes Seto! And look! They're playing a puzzle game!"

Solomon chuckles, "They both do love to play games. And both are exceptionally good at them. A good thing we live in a game shop, won't you say?"

" _Game shop?"_ Seto thinks to himself, unable to keep the small smile spreading across his face as he remembers. Yes, the Mutou-family own a game shop. If they really are related… would they help him achieve his dream?

"It was Youko, who in fact got us into looking for you, she even was the one who found you both after several years of searching." The old man sighs tiredly, but maintains his friendly smile. "Imagine my shock, after 5 years of searching and calling and sending letters to all the people we could think of, you just appear on the morning news".

Mokuba is the next who speaks. "5 years? He wonders, looking up in awe. "That's as long as I've been alive, Nii-sama!"

It feels a little hard to breathe. 5 years. They have family and their family has been searching for them for _5 whole years_. And if he knows his old family right (them and their greedy, holier-than-thou attitude), that wasn't just a coincidence, but a very deliberate action to keep them (and their inheritance) in the main family's hands.

"Youko and Yugi were both disappointed that they couldn't meet you today. But if you're willing, next time we meet I can bring them."

He can barely breathe.

Mokuba is already chatting away at half a mile a minute, but he… he needs a moment.

He needs to get back some damn control of the situation.

"So what happens now?"

Mutou looks away from Mokuba and regards him with a serious expression - like he isn't just a child, but an equal. A few moments pass, then…

"If it is something you wish… we go to court for custody over you and Mokuba," he says calmly.

Seto narrows his eyes. "While this is a pleasant little chat, all that seems a little too good to be true. What's the catch?"

An eyebrow is raised at him from across the table. "Why would there be a catch, Seto-kun?"

"There's always a catch," he hisses. "Nobody ever does anything out of the kindness of their hearts. Not when it comes to us, anyways. So what do you hope to gain from this, Mutou- _san_? Fortune? Fame? Blackmail?"

The man looks almost amused at him, and really, why wouldn't he? Seto knows he's still small, still a child. It doesn't matter to these people that he's got a certificate that confirms he is smarter than them and always will be, doesn't matter that he is already well on his way to be a patented inventor and businessman. He is a _child_. Someone to ignore and pass around like a pawn, a disposable little piece in a much bigger game.

"I have all the fame and fortune I need in the world Seto-kun, and blackmail is such a nasty thing. Even if it is useful. No, the catch is that you're my grandsons. You're family. And I love and care for my family, even if they're not related to me by blood directly. I make sure they are happy and healthy and have good lives. That is the catch, that's what I want for and from you both. To be happy and loved."

"He wants _my_ money is what he wants!" A loud, angry voice booms as the door slams open and _the enemy_ enters the room, followed by a couple of very frantic guards. "Don't believe his hippie nonsense of care - I know his type, I've read the case," Gozaburo growls. "Greedy, dirty, little commoners who think they have the right to demand anything from their betters".

He feels his hackles rise and grits his teeth in anger, but doesn't let it show. He doesn't even know why he wants to defend this man, this stranger who claims to be family. But then, something amazing happens.

"So as I was saying," Mutou continues calmly. "There is no bigger catch to this than my wanting to offer you to return to your proper family, where you belong. Not in the cold halls of an office building - really, that is no place for children to grow up, you can't flourish there".

"No catch my ass you old hippie, as I said, you want my money!"

Mutou again ignores Gozaburo. Seto is in awe and slight fear. Gozaburo's power and influence is great, he could easily hurt the man and his family for any slight.

"We are obligated to give you our contact information in case you wish to discuss the case further with us," Fujioka adds in, just as calm and ignoring the fuming business tycoon, and hands him a business card printed with both her and Mutou's information. "But to make it clear, the case will move forward, whether you wish to cooperate with us or not, young Kaiba-kun".

"What about me? Do I get a say?" Mokuba asks meekly, having gone tense and quiet at Gozuboro's loud entrance.

The old man goes from serious to kind the second his eyes land on Mokuba and calmly says: "Of course you to, Mokuba-kun. But we would prefer to not separate the two of you. Family shouldn't be torn apart".

The look he gives the both of them, then, settles something in Seto.

The words sound like a threat. Control being ripped from him once again, leaving him defenseless. But, he realizes, upon looking, studying Fujioka and Mutou closely… they're not taking control from him.

They're _giving_ it to him.

In this one moment, all the cards are in his hands. No… (he looks down at Mokuba) they're in their _hands_.

"Nii-san, I….I wanna go with him." Mokuba whispered very softly, looking up at him with pleading eyes. "I don't wanna stay with _him_ anymore."

Resolve solidifies. He nods just once.

(In all honesty, there wasn't even a choice to be made. _Anything_ would be better than staying with Kaiba, Gozaburo.)

"Before our biological father died, I heard much about the kind-hearted old man who took in four children in need," he says as calmly as possible. "If what you claim is true… would there even be space for two more in that tiny house?"

He refuses to react to the relieved shine in Mutou's eyes at his words.

"Oh trust me, there is plenty of room. The children, especially Youko will make sure of it. It will be a little cramped, but there is still space enough."

Seto nods again. He can work with cramped. It's better than the coldness of Gozaburo's house. "Then we would like to accept your offer. Mokuba and I will cooperate during this case".

Gozaburo seethes in the background, Seto can practically feel the flames he's spitting.

"It will be over my dead body," he growls, striding forwards towards the table. "If you think for one moment that you can win this I'll-"

"Oh, but I _do_ think we can win this, Kaiba-san," Mutou finally interrupts, standing and blocking the path towards him and Mokuba. "Need I remind you that I am a specialist in games, son? Make no mistake" he stands taller, appears much larger than he actually is in that moment "while you were busy making money off of other people's lives and studying something as _simple_ as chess - no, long before that - I unraveled the secrets of the ancient games, long forgotten by modern society. I have written enough papers on the subject to fill books and made them public for free, because I believe knowledge should belong to _everyone_. What have you ever done out of the goodness of your heart, _Kaiba-sama_?"

Seto freezes. Mokuba gives a barely audible little whimper.

Gozaburo is turning _blue_ in the face.

He doesn't know if he should be afraid, shocked or on an insurmountable amount of sheer awe.

They are forcefully ushered from the meeting room shortly after that. Fujioka-san calls after them that they will all be in touch. Gozaburo says nothing to them, just rips the business card from his hand and tears it into tiny pieces, his glare promising him hell later on.

" _Little does the man know that he keeps his eyes on the wrong brother,"_ Seto thinks to himself much, _much_ later that night, when Mokuba has snuck into his room, whispering the numbers he carefully memorised, and showing him a few smuggled photos that Fujioka-san had discreetly given to him during the exchange between Mutou-san and Gozaburo. One is of their mother and aunt, the other is a group photo of the Mutou-household as it is in present time.

They look at them until they can barely keep away, clinging to the hope that these flimsy pieces of paper offer.

Family is out there.

For once, in what feels like years, Seto dreams of warmth and comfort, and it doesn't feel so out of reach anymore.

* * *

* _Kurashi_ means "living". As in "livelihood". Nordic originally wanted the name to be a mix of _arashi_ \- storm, and _kuro_ \- black, but turns out kurashi is actually a word in Japanese, so we just went with it ^^;

*yes. _That_ Fujioka. Another subtle crossover reference. Let's see if you can figure out from where and what the first one is. (Hint: it's in previous chapters.) (Also, we're messing around with the ages and who dies, so she's alive in this, still).

-We claim no accurate or full knowledge of the legal system or affairs like this situation. The US, Denmark, or Japan. This is our rough guess and limited knowledge. (Taken from tv shows mainly).

* * *

A/N: Ladies, Gentlemen and anyone who don't follow the gender binary. Welcome back to yet another chapter of Caught in the Game! This chapter marks the beginning of the case of Mutou vs. Kaiba - the Battle for the Brothers! XD

Silliness aside, I've been looking forward to this chapter and to finally introducing Seto and Mokuba to the story. We all have our favorite characters - the Kaiba brothers are mine. (A massive step-up from the embarrassment that was liking WEEVIL of all things when I was a kid. Don't ask, I was a weird child and really way too young to understand anything in the show).

So we've got a lot of firsts in this chapter! Yugi speaks properly, for one, and we show a lot more of the younger ones' personality ^_^ We're also hinting at something with one of the kids, can you guess what?

We've given Seto and Mokuba a surname, since no canon name has been given. So yeah, their original family name in CitG is Kurashi. Like explained above, it was supposed to be a random mash-up of words, but then it turned out to be an actual word, and it fit them with the elitism of their father's family.

And, finally, the grand finale, Seto's POV! It was a little difficult to get into his head, but I think we did okay. We wanted him to be suspicious, but still have some hint of hope left. His POV happens a couple of months after being adopted by Gozaburo, so he's been through a few _things_ already. Not as bad as it gets, yet, but getting there. Grandpa suddenly showing up with claims of being family gives him a frail hope, but he hasn't really had the best track record with family so far. But it's a hope he'll cling on to for now.

There really isn't much more to this chapter. A lot happens, but it's subtle. Mokuba is sneaky and excited for the chance of a new family. A better family. And for learning more of a part of the family they didn't even know existed.

As usual, thanks to all of the reviews, comment, follows and favorites :) Each and every one of them matter so much to us, and we really appreciate it. A reminder to those who might be a little reluctant that we're more than happy to respond to any questions you might have and just fangirl about the series in general!

Another reminder that we've got a tumblr, too! Come yell at us on .com!

That's it from me for this time. I'll see you guys next chapter for more Caught in the Game!

NordicTwin

 _A/N:_

 _Hello my ducklings! Hope you had a Happy New Years! Welcome back to Caught in the Game!_

 _Unfortunately, updates will be slow from now on for a while. Nordic and Moirei both start uni back up again next week. So we will have very limited time to write until or edit stuff until their next break or so._

 _This chapter not too much happens, which sometimes is a good thing. We get to see Ryou and Yugi talk (and aren't they just the most previously adorable babies ever!?). We also hint at several things about the world and characaters. Can you guess what though? ;)_

 _We feel at this point, Seto would be wary, suspicious, but not as cold and brash as he is in canon. It's only been a few months (2 or so) for him and Mokuba, not the many years that their canon counterparts went through._

 _More will definitely happen next chapter and things will And are picking up. We're getting closer to canon duckies! Just hang in a little longer!_

 _Shoutout to all of the people who viewed and all of our current followers and faves and our new followers and favorites (L Lynx22, SasuSakuLover1619, nya mayaha nya, And DocHorrible64) And thanks to everyone who left Kudos!_

 _And_ _ **EXTRA**_ _thank yous and love to The Otaku Lady Priya, ren7720, Flaremage, and Waves for the reviews/comments!_

 _Please, PLEASE leave us comments and reviews, especially if you have any questions or are confused! We love them so very much! We get so motivated to write when we get reviews!_

 _Thanks again to the amazingly talented and lovely Moirei for Beta-ing for us, as always :)_

 _Also! Our side story, Beyond the Game, is up! So any missing scenes or the like will be posted there! And don't forget to check out the CitG tumblr blog (caughtinthegame dot tumblr dot com) as well, we post links to the chapters and if we remember, we post chapter progress. We will also post other little things now and then when we can._

 _One final thing is our other SI story called "Judgement of Our Sins" for the Seven Deadly Sins/Nanatsu no Taizai series! Please check it out! All three of us are super excited for it and to share it!_

 _Anyways, that's all for this chapter. Stay safe and have a good rest of your day, week, or month(s). Until next time my duckies!_

 _C. S. Stars_

 **Edited/Beta by Moirei**

 **Finished January 3, 2018**

 **Published January 4, 2018**


	16. Ohana Means Family

**Chapter 15- Ohana Means Family...**

Yugi doesn't remember having a mama. He doesn't remember having a papa, either. Nee-chan says their mama died when he was just a tiny baby, and their papa…

Nee-chan doesn't like talking about him. Neither does Grandpa.

But that's fine with him. He doesn't need a mama - he's got *Mama and Aunty Mana and Ko-nee-chan and Nata-nee-chan and Grandpa and Aunty Suzu and Aunty Anzu and Uncle Adam and Uncle Todd and Renny and Ryou and Jou-nii-chan and Tee-nee-chan and Tri-nii-chan, and they're all wonderful and he loves them so much!

(Yugi doesn't understand why Mama gets a funny look on his face when he calls for him. Or why Aunty Mana or his nee-chans laugh. Nata-nee says he couldn't say Mama's full name as a baby, so he calls him Mama instead of Mahad.)

Yugi has a very big family. He's a very happy boy and he loves his family. So when he learns that their family is going to grow again, and that he's going to get two more brothers, he's so excited!

Well, technically they're cousins, but the nice lady in the purple jacket had said that their mamas had been sisters who had been so alike, they might as well be half-brothers! (She'd used a lot of big words around the other adults, but had been nice and explained it to him when he asked what that meant).

Yugi was sad to learn that it would be a while before he could meet his new family. He was even more sad when his nee-chan explained that the man who took their family was being very mean to them. (That made him mad, no one was allowed to hurt his family!)

He is determined to love his new brothers as much as he can. He will love them and give them hugs and be nice to make them happy!

They will be a great big, happy, and loving family! He'll make sure of it!

* * *

"I can't believe that it's been here this _whole_ time and we had _no_ idea." Youko grumbles, "it's _embarrassing_."

"Well….we _did_ have a lot going on over the last several years, and it doesn't become important for a while yet. We still have time to learn." Hinata says soothingly, though she too looks embarrassed and annoyed.

Both girls are helping close the shop up for the afternoon. Something they do often to help Grandpa out around the house, and as Youko had been organizing and restocking the shelves, she had found a certain game. A game that will be _very_ important in their lives in the next few years.

Sitting there innocently on the shelf are packs of Duel Monster Cards.

Youko is fighting the urge to bang her head against the wall. Because how could they have _missed_ it all these years? They help unpack them, goddamnit! They put them on the shelves and everything!

Sure, it's the first version, so it looks completely different from what they're used to, and, well….it may _say_ Duel Monsters, but it's written in kanji and….well, they're _still_ learning it. Even if they've got a much better grasp on the written Japanese language, it's still a hard language to learn. (And as Hinata said, they have had a lot of shit going on in their lives since they've been reborn)

Still… the fact that it took one of the packets accidentally ripping for them to realize just what game Grandpa keeps sending new orders out for is just embarrassing…

"I wanna blame Mahad and Mana for not telling us, but I doubt they actually knew when it started or was out even too…." Youko grumbles as she quickly finishes her last section. "Well, we may as well ask Grandpa to show us and start learning. We can make it a group thing and have everyone learn. I'd rather they all knew and not need it than to not be prepared and it hurt them."

Hinata nods, pushing a little crate filled with 1000+ piece puzzles into a corner. "Sounds like a good idea. Or maybe ask Seto if he wants to teach us? I think… he knew Duel Monsters before being adopted, right?"

"Yeah, It was one of the things he really loved and focused on while stuck with Gyoza-chan." Youko murmurs as she starts sweeping the floors. "Mokuba even drew him a blue eyes, since it's Seto's favorite card."

"Right! I always thought that was so cute… Mokuba the little artist," Hinata smiles wistfully. Then she takes a deep breath. "I really hope this mess will have a happy ending".

Youko makes a little noise in the back of her throat in agreement. "They deserve more from the gods than broken hearts and frozen spirits."

They both keep working silently, the mood having gone from light-hearted complaining to serious in seconds flat.

Youko closes her eyes. She needs to do something. To get this feeling of frustration and powerlessness out of her system. She wants to scream, knows Hinata won't judge her for it, but those are usually reserved for their room at midnight, robed in the safety of a silencing spell.

So she sings.

" _You're alone, you're on your own. So what - have you gone blind - have you forgot-ten what you have and what is yours?"_

It's a song she remembers well from before, one that filled her with both sadness and hope. A special kind of strength. In the middle of the first verse Hinata joins her.

" _You've got it all. You lost your mind in the sound. There's so much more… you can reclaim your crown. You're in control… rid of the mon-sters inside your head. Put all your faults to bed…"_

They turn to look at each other determinedly and clasp their left hands together.

" _You can be king again"_.

"It'll be okay. We'll get them home. Watch, it won't be long before you're yelling at Seto for being a prick," Hinata says, giving Youko a small grin towards the end.

Youko gives a watery laugh, "Yeah. Pretty soon I'll be hearing "Duel Me!" at all hours of the day." She says with a laugh, before going back to work.

She just needs to distract herself. To think of other things, so the worry doesn't suffocate her.

It's not that she doesn't trust Fujioka-san (she had had the hardest time not screaming when she heard that name) to get them out of the man's grasp. She does. Fujioka Kotoko is good at what she does, no doubt about that, and they have ways of collecting the evidence they need. (Isono Roland, bless his heart, is much less loyal to the man than he thinks he is).

It's just…

Gozaburo has a lot of contacts, too. A _lot_. And much bigger access to certain resources on top of all sorts of underhanded tactics Uncle Adam and Fujioka-san talk about in quiet voices with the other adults. Things that make Suzuki swear quietly and mention "calling in favors" and "pulling rank on the rat" more and more often.

(And how interesting it is, to know they're in a cross-over world and her aunt's maiden name happens to be Ootori…)

She wants to believe, to hope, that her cousins will be free sooner or later. That they'll get them out of that cold house and into the warmth of a real home.

She just hopes that they'll still be _whole_ by then.

Distractions. She needs to keep busy, needs to think of something else…

Fortunately, Hinata comes to her rescue.

"So… if our lawyer is named Fujioka Kotoko… and Auntie Suzuki was an Ootori… what are the odds that we'll eventually meet a very energetic host club and a very _done_ cross-dressing girl?"

 _Fangirling and theorizing. That's something she's good at, at least_.

* * *

Youko is nervous.

She's excited too, but mostly nervous.

She can barely keep still or calm.

She's about to meet Seto and Mokuba. Her cousins.

 _She's about to meet the Kaiba brothers._

Yes, she's internally fangirling like there is no tomorrow.

Yugi is excited too. He's next to her bouncing in his seat, copying his big sister.

Both siblings look up at their grandfather when they hear his deep chuckle. "My, I can't believe you both still have so much energy. You barely even slept last night."

"How can we sleep Grandpa? We've been waiting to meet our cousins for _so_ long!" Yugi exclaims with wide eyes and a large smile.

Youko has to hold herself back from bundling him up in her arms and cooing at him. He's just _too_ adorable.

There will be time for that later. Right now they're seated in a meeting room at one of the district government buildings, waiting for Seto and Mokuba with Fujioka-san stationed outside to function as the welcoming committee.

The case is grueling and takes a lot out of them, Gozaburo doing everything he can to make every little thing drag out. It would have worked, too, if Fujioka-san didn't know how to play the games of law and wit better than him and his literal army of lawyers.

It's been almost 3 weeks since the first meeting that took place between Grandpa, Fujioka-san, and her cousins.

But despite everything, they've finally gotten to this moment. Their first meeting.

Youko thinks she may faint.

"Now I know you're both excited, but remember what I said back at home. You must be careful and be on your best behavior." Grandpa says in a calm but serious voice.

"Yes Grandpa."

He smiles warmly at them both. "That's my Little Sun and Star."

Any further conversation is stopped by the door opening and Fujioka-san waking in followed closely by another man, who is most likely Gozaburo's lawyer, and then two smaller figures.

Youko has to bite her cheek because there in the flesh are Seto and Mokuba, and they are so _tiny!_

She wouldn't say Seto is scowling, but he definitely doesn't look like your average 10 year old. There's a particular kind of weariness to him. He's tense and scans the room, walking ahead of Mokuba with his little brother's hand grasped firmly in his own.

Similarly, Mokuba looks tense - nervous - and walks close to Seto. But unlike him, there's still a hint of light and curiosity in Mokuba's eyes. Like he still dares to hold on to hope. It's clear that he's been shielded from a lot of the bad things in Gozaburo's manor, even if he understands that their situation is bad.

It makes her blood boil. Youko wants to rip Gozaburo to shreds, make him pay for all the atrocities he's committed.

She takes a deep breath, trying to calm down. She can feel her magic and something darker move to her rage. She can't let things get out of control. She won't let anything ruin their chances of saving these two children.

It takes her a few minutes to calm down. Luckily, she doesn't miss anything, just the adults talking to each other. It's only when there is a lull in the conversation that she decides to greet the boys and make them relax.

Youko hops out of her chair, Yugi scrambling right behind her, and goes up to the two brothers with a bright smile on her face. (Because she _is_ happy to meet them)

"Hi there! I'm Mutou, Youko! It's so wonderful to finally meet you!" She chirps happily, her grin widens when Yugi copies her happy greeting.

Mokuba's eyes absolutely _light up_ at the greeting and a brilliant smile forms on his face. He takes a half-step out from behind Seto. "It's you!" He says and gods above, _he is so damn adorable,_ Youko doesn't know how she's even staying put.

Fujioka-san laughs and steps aside, gesturing between them. "I guess few introductions are needed here, then. Seto-chan, Mokuba-chan, these two are Youko-chan and Yugi-chan, your biological cousins. Next meeting we're hoping to introduce you to a few of the adopted ones. Youko-chan, Yugi-chan - meet Kaiba Seto and Kaiba Mokuba".

Seto nods stiffly at them, then bows. "I've heard that Youko-san was the one who 'found' us. It is a pleasure to meet you".

"Please don't be so formal! We're family Seto-nii-san!" Youko exclaims. She better start now with enforcing that family is family and there is nothing formal about it. Among other things.

He looks startled at the exclamation. Like it's not something he's used to - informality between family.

Her heart just keeps breaking with every moment spent with this boy.

(She's faintly aware of something similar happening between their younger brothers, Yugi dragging Mokuba to a corner of the room where he's been allowed to set up some of his favorite toys to show his cousins. If Grandpa had allowed it, she thinks he'd happily give them all away to them, to share the comfort and fun they bring to him).

She carefully reaches out and takes Seto's hand in hers and giving it a little squeeze, smiling at him. "Let's get along well, eh, Seto-nii?"

He looks at her like she's a being from another planet and, well… she thinks she should have expected that kind of reaction. The poor kid is so starved for affection and love and positive contact it's borderline tragicomic.

But then he raises his other hand to lay over both of hers and the smallest of smiles (an actual, genuine smile that reaches his eyes and makes him look so much more like the 10 year old he is) is sent her way.

"Okay," he says, nodding.

And then, miracle of miracles… he squeezes her hands back.

Her heart melts.

Yeah, she loves this kid already and she's going to protect him no matter what.

* * *

Seto isn't quite sure how to react once he meets Mutou Youko.

On one hand she's a stranger, but she's also family. Both his old family and Gozaburo have taught him that those two might as well be interchangeable when it comes to behaviour towards anyone who's not your parent or sibling. Always be polite, always remember the proper honorifics, never speak up unless spoken to… a lot of rules, basically, a lot of distance.

On the other hand, it's because of this tiny, overly-enthusiastic girl who spends no time on proper and dances all over the rules he hates, but which have been ingrained into his behaviour, with a cheerful smile and a warmth that just _pours and pours and pours_ from her, with her every breath and the little skip in her step, even in the presence of adults.

Mokuba was right, during that first meeting, when they saw a picture of their supposed cousins. Mutou Youko doesn't just look like the sun, she _is_ one. A sun that shines with love and care instead of light and heat, but feels so much warmer and more comforting.

They sit down by the table and chat about nothing (places they've seen, the coming seasons… safe things of no consequence, and nothing about their mothers).

 _(Good)._

And then, out of the blue, she suddenly perks up and rushes to a bag standing in the corner, returning with a little box full of familiar cards.

"Do you play duel monsters Seto-nii? Hinata and I found the cards while helping in the gameshop, Grandpa started teaching us all but it's slow going for myself. Maybe you can help me?" She asks curiously.

His heart almost skips a beat and he has to remind himself to remain professional, to remain calm, show as little emotion as possible lest Gozaburo's goons snitch.

"I don't have time for such childish frivolities anymore," he says evenly. Youko just smiles at him patiently.

"But did you play it when you _did_ have time for games?" She asks, looking up at him with big, purple eyes. "Because I _really_ need help, the rules just won't stick for me".

She pulls out the cards and shuffles them into two decks, Yugi and Mokuba suddenly appear across from them ready to play. (Well Yugi is, he's bouncing in his seat eagerly)

"I'm just so _bad_ at it." She says despairingly, "I can never remember when I can or can't use certain monster affects or spell and trap cards. Or even when I think it's okay to attack, my monster ends up destroyed instead!"

He doesn't do it because she's looking up at him with such pleading eyes. Nope, not at all. And certainly not to show off. Honest truth. He just… she starts playing a game with her own little brother and he's 5 and he's got a better understanding of the rules than her.

He just can't watch that, it's the _saddest_ thing he's ever seen in his life.

"I can do okay sometimes, but I just….I need help when I duel. I just don't have a mind that's made for strategy and a game like this….it's not fair, I love this game and I _suck_ at it." She says pitifully, big, teary eyes looking up at him, silently begging.

… she's a better manipulator than most of the members of the board of Kaiba Corp and she's probably not even aware of it.

"You've got dangerous eyes, _Chiisana Hi_ *," he tells her when he finally scoots closer and lean over to look through her cards. She looks up at him in confusion, but he doesn't offer an explanation.

"Well first off…"

And that's how the next few hours go. They end up playing duel monsters and talking strategy. Well he and Yugi do while helping Youko and Mokuba try and learn the game.

With his help, she does amazing. She's a decent duelist, she just needs help with the technicalities of the game and reminders of card effects. She learns the basics of the battle phase quickly, but everything else she seems to struggle with remembering.

What she really needs is just a little helper of some sort that can tell her when cards can be activated or used.

(He wonders if there's something like that out there, or something he could do to help her and others who struggle…. Little visual or audio cues, maybe…)

They have an amazing time playing and getting to know each other. Youko and Yugi talk about their friends and the things they do. Mutou-san joins them eventually and gives advice as he tells them stories of his adventures when he was younger.

It's a good day.

He just wishes that it didn't have to end so soon.

Gozaburo is just outside the door, probably spitting fire and smoke with his glare, but added security keep him out this time.

Youko holds on tight to his hand, hesitating. Then she looks up at him and smiles warmly. "Say, Seto-nii… are you afraid of the dark?"

He doesn't let the confusion show on his face, even if she catches him off-guard. "Why do you ask, Youko-san?"

She shrugs. "No reason. I've always found it kind of comforting, myself. Makes it easier to hide".

"Some would argue that the darkness is scary because of what could hide in it," he counter-argues, almost out of habit. _Always be ready with a response, don't let them see you falter_.

She shrugs again and the smile suddenly, out of the blue… takes on a cold, borderline sinister edge, and he actually has to stop himself from flinching away.

"I'm not afraid of the monsters hiding in the shadows, Seto-nii," she says calmly. "Not when there are monsters prancing around like peacocks in broad daylight, acting like they run the world".

(Gozaburo flashes before his inner eye, but he shuts it down quickly. Show no fear, feel no fear, he's stronger than that).

"But well, with the darkness… there might be bigger, badder monsters hiding in it, true… but if you are hiding with them, just biding your time… who knows? If you call for them, they might remember you as one of their own and respond."

She lets go of him and smiles that cheerful smile again, and all ice and danger is gone from her voice when she speaks again, reaching up to open the door.

"It was nice to meet you, Seto-san. I'll bring my chess-board next time so we can actually play and not just talk about moves and techniques."

He looks at her, dares not let the confusion get to him. And then, seconds later, he gets it.

 _She's a sneaky, clever, little thing._

 _And the most convincing liar he's seen since the day Gozaburo took him and Mokuba in, before the mask of kindness fell and revealed the ice demon beneath it._

They can't let Gozaburo know they have hope. They can't let him know just how much freedom he can already taste, how close it feels, no matter how much he tries to make the case drag.

She says her goodbyes to Mokuba and they leave in silence, Gozaburo spitting words of insults at them before turning around… and then he trips over his own shoelaces.

He falls straight on his face, has no room to react or catch himself, the crash echoing in the empty hallway.

" _Don't laugh. Laugh and he'll unleash hell upon you. Keep it in,"_ he thinks to himself, though it's difficult. Mokuba's shaking next to him, seemingly in the same situation as him.

Gozaburo gets up, spitting out curses as blood gushes down his face.

Later that night, when they're back at the mansion, they learn that Gozaburo (or Gyoza, as Youko calls him) broke his nose, badly. It was reset, but now it is misshapen.

Seto and Mokuba have a good (silent) laugh once they're alone.

Yes. It was a good day.

* * *

*Inspired by Very-Merry-Sioux's Yugioh au "Tiny but Terrifyingly Cute" post: very (dash) merry (dash) sioux. (tu)(mb)(lr). c-o-m / post / 162238618898/i-was-just-thinking-about-tiny-and-terrifyingly (remove the spaces and extra stuff and add the dots and dashes)

*Little Sun

* * *

A/N: Hey everyone, and welcome back for more Caught in the Game ^_^ Hope you've all been well since last time.

So nothing much really happens in this chapter, aside from **bonding**. Give us ALL of the Kaiba-Mutou bonding. Oh, and we see Yugi's POV for the first time! Hooray! And last but not least, we actually introduce Duel Monsters to the fic. Only took 15 chapters and a prologue XD

I really don't have all that much to say about this chapter. We had a couple ideas we ended up scrapping (we originally had a phone-conversation between Youko and Seto instead of her and Hinata in the storage room) and a couple of spur of the moment additions.

A reviewer asked if we would have more OHSHC crossovers now that we've introduced Kotoko to the plot. Without spoiling our further ideas too much, well… you can't just drop the name Fujioka and NOT include Haruhi at some point. Same with Kyoya and mentioning the Ootori name. Just be aware that we're changing a few things for that fandom, too, that don't align with canon.

As usual, a huge thank you to everyone who reviewed, followed, favorite and gave us kudos. They're the highlight of our day whenever they tick in ^_^

Thank you so much for reading. See you guys next time!

NordicTwin

A/N:

Hello my ducklings! I hope you all have been doing well! Welcome to the next chapter of Caught in the Game!

Not too much happening this chapter. We do get to see adorable little Yugi's pov of things (and good lord is he precious), show some family bonding, and finally introduce duel monsters! (It only took forever ;)

There were many ideas that we tried and scrapped for this chapter. We like this version the best and it came out the easiest.

Concerning crossovers, we will definitely have some things but whether they're minor little mentions or more active parts of the story, well, you'll have to wait and see. ;)

As you've seen, there are vague allusions and and references to possible things and all that. I won't say anymore though to leave you curious and guessing.

Shoutout to all of the people who viewed and all of our current followers and faves and our new followers and favorites (MiserableSOUL660, FluffyPizzaPie, halyyy, Plexi Pink, Rosalina2405, MoonOfSeptember, Warlord of Chaos, NexusGal, vaittiare01, mangaecv, xForeverGamerx) And thanks to everyone who left Kudos!

And **EXTRA** thank yous and love to The Otaku Lady Priya, GlaresThatKill, ren7720, cherry-888, mangaecv, Flaremage, and Waves for the reviews/comments!

Please, PLEASE leave us comments and reviews, especially if you have any questions or are confused! We love them so very much! We get so motivated to write when we get reviews!

Thanks again to the amazingly talented and lovely Moirei for Beta-ing for us, as always :)

Also! Our side story, Beyond the Game, is up! So any missing scenes or the like will be posted there! And don't forget to check out the CitG tumblr blog (caughtinthegame dot tumblr dot com) as well, we post links to the chapters and if we remember, we post chapter progress. We will also post other little things now and then when we can.

And our other SI story called "Judgement of Our Sins" for the Seven Deadly Sins/Nanatsu no Taizai series has been posted! Please check it out! All three of us are super excited for it and to share it!

Anyways, that's all for this chapter. Stay safe and have a good rest of your day, week, or month(s). Until next time my duckies!

C. S. Stars

 **Edited/Beta by Moirei**

 **Finished & Published January 22, 2018**

* * *

Self-Insert (SI) fics we recommend that you check out! (We plan to rec a few different ones each chapter)

 **Dreaming of Sunshine (Naruto) by Silver Queen (ongoing)**

Summary- Life as a ninja. It starts with confusion and terror and doesn't get any better from there. OC Self-insert. No pairings.

(C. S. Stars- The very first self insert fic I ever read. My main inspiration for self insert fics in general. I read this and my mind exploded with ideas, what other fandoms could this work with, what could I change, etc. This is an amazing fic that shows the effects and changes brought on by the oc. Silver Queen (who is an amazing writer and so talented) has many twists and turns that surprise you when they happen. Even better, fans of DoS have made a forum for the fic and share their own theories and other things.)

 **Monachopsis (Yu-Gi-Oh!) by Panda-chan31 (ongoing)**

Summary- "The subtle but persistent feeling of being out of place". Guess that makes sense, seeing as I was reborn into the world of an anime. And being reborn into a world where you know what's coming... It's terrifying. Slight S/I, inspired by Silver Queen and Lang Noi.

(C. S. Stars- The first ygo SI I found (out of two), my definite main inspiration and motivation to go ahead with settling CitG and actually writing it. Panda writes an amazing perspective of the world from her oc, especially with how she is involved in the world. A good read, a great read even. Her characterization of Seto is flawless.)

 **Tell It To the Marines (One Piece) by Tsume Yuki (ongoing/Hiatus)**

Summary- Because sometimes a tale is too tall not to tell. Even if no one will ever believe her, this isn't Riskua's first shot at life. It is her first time as the 'big sister' of the nuisance that is Monkey D. Luffy however. Self Insert. (slow burn on the pairing)

(C. S. Stars- The brilliant Tsume Yuki has written many fics for many fandoms and all of them are incredible. I've been following her and her fics for almost 6 years now. I highly recommend ALL of her fics honestly. She shows marvelous characterization for all the characters, and is very realistic with what happens.)

 **Lucky Child (Yu-Yu Hakusho) by Star Charter (ongoing)**

Summary- When a Yu Yu Hakusho fan dies and is reincarnated in Keiko's body, she's faced with a difficult decision: stay true to her former self, or follow the script. Not-Quite-Keiko must choose between sacrificing her identity to honor the anime or forging a destiny of her own making—but can she afford to be herself when one wrong move could rewrite history? [SI!Keiko] [Updates Saturdays]

(C. S. Stars- My first fandom and anime love. This fic is beyond amazing and held dear to me. Star does the most amazing job of characterization and showing cause and effect of things. She takes a very unique approach to her fic and it works so wonderfully. Give her work a good chance please! She is also an amazing inspiration. (Especially with crossover elements ;) I recommend Lucky Child the most out of all self insert fics.)


	17. And so It Begins

**Chapter 16- And so it Begins**

It's funny how time has a way of passing.

One moment she's small and lamenting the dark streaks in her blonde hair and befriending a tiny Joey Wheeler. The next she's 10 years old and meeting Seto and Mokuba for the first time, her baby brother by her side. And now…

Now she's 11 years old (again) with obnoxiously bright-blonde bangs against a weird shade of red that her mind tells her shouldn't exist (so dark it looks black in some light)... and she's just bumped into Duke Devlin. Literally.

Or rather, Otogi Duke, as he introduces himself when he helps her up from the ground.

Internally she questions what her life even is now. (Crazy magic, reincarnation, gods, custody battles with evil rich assholes….and that's just to name the few off the top of her head).

Externally, she just smiles at him and apologizes.

"I should've watched where I was going," she brushes off her jeans and jacket quickly, before crouching to pick up her bags. He's already there, though, examining the contents.

He's quick to brush off her apology. "Nothing bad happened, so it's all good… and your groceries appear intact".

"That's a relief, Hinata would have my head if the ingredients for her very awesome cookies were ruined." She answers with a smile, trying to not stare, because he's so _young_ and his hair is so very _short_ compared to the long length he'll have in a few short years. (She resolutely pushes thoughts of that time away because god is it coming up fast and that _terrifies_ her)

He's also surprisingly _nice_ , his background considered. Not only does he apologize and help her up, he also takes half of her bags and insists on escorting home safely, even though he was going in the complete opposite direction. He's a little gentleman, really.

"Alright, you can walk me home, but you have to stay for a game and some snacks at least in return, okay?"

He hesitates a little. "I don't think my father would ap-"

"Surely he won't mind you spending some time with a friend and helping them out, will he?" She asks, somewhat sadly.

He blinks a little. "You'd call a stranger a friend?"

She smiles up at him (seriously, they're both 11, how is he so _tall_ already? Why is _everyone_ so much taller than her, damnit? She misses her old height so much) and winks. "I'm Mutou Youko, a pleasure to bump into you. There - now we're not strangers anymore".

He just stands there, looking like she's just handed him the keys Disney World and told him he can do what he wants in there, and then he breaks into a smile so bright and happy it could cure cancer.

She wants to cry and hug the poor boy. She barely restrains herself. What is it with all these poor children being neglected and abused!? She breathes slowly and deeply, tamping down on her anger and magic. She doesn't want to suddenly and accidentally summon an army of monsters ready to do her bidding. (Not like _last_ time. That had been _fun_. Mahad's pained but awed face was a sight to see. Grandpa was proud but strongly disapproving. They were lucky no one who could actually _see_ the monsters was actually around).

(She still thinks the permanent ban from any toy stores owned by that company was a little too much, though. That kid was asking for it and they can't prove anything beyond the inexplicable mess).

And that's how she finds herself coming home with Duke and introducing him to their family of misfits and nerds.

Hours later, it's as if he's always been there. They're all smiling and laughing and playing games. Seto surprisingly warms up to him the most and they strike up a nice camaraderie as being the oldest of their group. (They get along well and take great pleasure in riling up Joey playfully, Joey reciprocates it easily and gives back just as well as he gets.)

"What is it with you and bringing home strays Youko? This is becoming a habit of yours." Hinata says quietly to her. They're washing the dishes and cleaning up after dinner - she's to her elbows in suds, Youko's doing the drying.

"I can't help it, they just come to me and give me these big sad eyes and I cave." She replies mock defensively and turns back to look at their friends.

The younger siblings, dubbed the Dominio Quartet by themselves, are all huddled together playing a game. Or, well, Serenity, Ryou, and Mokuba are huddled together at least, they all teamed up in an attempt to actually beat Yugi at a game. (It looks like they're losing though, not that they mind too much, it just makes them more determined to beat him one day.)

Grandpa and Uncle Adam are seated at the table, pouring over legal paperwork and documents that are for the ongoing trial for Seto and Mokuba, with Auntie Kotoko on the phone with them.

It's been a year since they all first met, and in that time the court had ordered visiting time for the boys. They stay every other week at the Mutou household. (There are surprise visits by the court and child welfare representatives and supervised times that take place at _both_ of their residences.)

The two boys are happier, healthier, and more open than ever. (Anyone can see it, which is in their favor as it shows how bad it is mentally and emotionally for them to live with Gozaburo.)

Uncle Todd is at a conference but had called earlier to say hello to everyone and introduce himself to Duke.

Aunt Anzu and Suzuki are helping around the house, helping clean and organize a bit. (Something they had taken to doing when Sally had left for college and two more children came to live in the small house. They hear from her around once a week on the phone and she sends letters and emails often to them all. So at least she was keeping in touch. From the sounds of it, she was doing wonderfully and thriving.)

Seto, Duke, and Joey (the three oldest of them all) are on the couch, bickering good naturedly and talking about random things. Lily is there, too, having claimed Duke's lap for himself and is purring up a storm. (Duke discovered his favorite spot to be petted - just under his cheeks).

The look Duke had when Lily had come over to him made her heart break all over again. He had been so thrilled and in awe, like he had never been close to an animal let alone allowed to snuggle and pet one. (She's determined to send Lily to duke when he's not with Seto or Mokuba.)

Dia is loosely wrapped around Seto's neck, content to be there until Hinata is back.

Tea and Tristan are at the small coffee table in front of the TV. They're playing a new game that Tristan had just got for getting a good grade. (And by the looks of it, Tea is _destroying_ him. Her cackles of glee and his cries of dismay are more than amusing to hear.)

"Can't believe how much time is going by. It's been a tough year." She murmurs to Hinata as she turns to finish drying the dishes.

And boy had it been one long and challenging year.

But when she finally puts away the last plate and goes into the living room and sees all of the happiness (even with their endless awareness that Seto and Mokuba are only allowed one week's happiness at a time)... she can't say she regrets anything. And from the look on Hinata's face, she can tell the other girl feels the same.

Youko silently grabs the puzzle box and settles into her little special spot, in the corner but in the center of attention. Quietly, she basks in the happy and calm atmosphere around her for several minutes before she carefully pulls the lid off the box and gently removes the near complete puzzle from it.

A small, relieved and content sigh falls from her lips and she closes her eyes. A small smile crosses her face as she feels Yami sense and reach for her through their ever growing bond. He immediately sends his joy and relief at feeling her through the bond. She sends her own happiness and contentment back to him before she is quickly bombarded with questioning impressions as he eagerly "asks" how she is and what new things she has experienced in the few hours since she had put the puzzle away.

All in all… yeah, life's pretty good, even with the future looming ahead.

* * *

Duke, much like Youko had suspected, is just as lost as the rest of them. Another kid abandoned to himself, forgotten in a sea of expectations and ludicrous demands from cruel adults.

It's too bad, really, that they can't get him out of the situation like they're trying with her cousins… but there's no blood-relation and no evidence that Duke is actually abused. And really, in many ways… he isn't. He's just a tiger parent, always pushing his son to achieve more and better than he did (and get revenge on her Grandpa through her, which is really the dumbest thing she's ever heard) and not listening to his son's actual wants and dreams.

Youko doesn't _like_ it, but there's really nothing she or anyone else can do beyond offering him friendship and a place to be himself.

He's lonely, much like they all have a tendency to be when alone. So they make sure he knows damn well that he's never alone, so long as they're his friends.

(She hates it when she realizes this is a lesson she has to learn here. That she and Hinata _can't_ fix everything. She's grateful it's not a worse scenario that she has to learn this, but it's still upsetting.)

They'll just have to make do. To get through it _together_.

He leaves out of their door that evening to a dark car and a man hiding behind more than just one mask: one for his face and one for his _face_. So much like the rotten Gyoza who makes her cousins so miserable, yet also so vastly different in the degree of evil.

" _Though…"_ Youko catches herself wondering one rainy afternoon several days later, when she's mindlessly working at the puzzle (Yami is "sleeping", from what she can gather) " _in this world of magic and shadows, how can one truly define evil?"_

She's got a list in her mind of people she considers _good_ and people she considers _evil_ , as well as those she expects to fall in either category. And yet…

She initially expected to encounter Seto and Mokuba as enemies, at first. Or rather, she expected frightened, abused children with attitude and trust issues. She set out to find them and save them - to bring them to the side of good. While they're not enemies in this world, this timeline, Youko must admit that they're still shockingly similar to their canon counterparts.

 _(She picks up a puzzle-piece, polishes it, turns the puzzle… it clicks into place perfectly)_.

While not a cold-hearted as the one she knew _then_ , Seto certainly has traits that would mark him as rival or antagonist in other situations. To most people, he's domineering and assertive, with an ego higher than his IQ. His tongue is sharp and his glare so cold, sometimes she thinks it could actually freeze things. He is, in many ways, the cookie-cutter perfect Seto Kaiba, straight out of the anime. But around her, around _them_ , the ice melts and the glare turns to a gaze that reminds her more of clear mountain lakes than freezing storms and dragons made of frost. The observational skills, which usually allow him to tear a person apart with only words after less than five minutes in a room with them, and that same sharp tongue turn into a dry sort of humor that rears its head randomly around them.

Similarly, while their Mokuba is still much like the one she knew from fiction, this one is still… other. Whereas the one she read about wanted to copy his brother's every move, their Mokie frequently goes through phases where he idolizes one of his "older siblings." And while he's got the seeds of an ego like his brother's planted in him (because Mokuba is _smart_ , no matter how little the manga and anime showed it), Youko can slowly see him turning them into something less suited for a miniature bully and more of a born leader. And the art… their Mokie draws and draws and draws, and they all do their best to encourage it. (Fortunately, Gozaburo doesn't see art as worth his time… if he did, Youko isn't sure the boy would survive the kind of pressure…)

 _(She repeats her motions. Pick up, polish, turn… it fits again?)_

They're all different. From her cousins to her friends. They share many things with their canon counterparts, be it personality or morals. Yet they are vastly different too. And all because of her and Hinata being born. (Mostly. Neither of them are so arrogant that they think their mere presence has to do with _every_ change that there is).

Yugi, still sweet and shy but also confident and outgoing. Joey, still loyal beyond belief but is calmer, smarter and more thoughtful. Tea, still vibrant and hopeful, but not so naive. Tristan, still a follower and the solid pillar of support, but also a leader and calm voice of reason. Ryouichi, still loves the occult and darker thing, but is comfortable with themself and feeling a bit more free to explore everything. And Serenity, still outspoken and loyal like her brother, but is louder and has more of a presence, she won't let you forget that she's there.

Hinata is somewhat similar to Seto, cold and sharp around others, warm and loving around their family. She's most definitely the voice of reason and the "mom friend" for their group.

As for herself, well… she literally cursed her new father to eternal misery and bad luck, or something like it. That's a pretty bad thing to do, but she doesn't consider herself evil. Not exactly. And what her beloved Grandpa did to Duke's father in the past was also pretty sketchy, even if it was during a dark game.

" _So maybe…"_ she thinks for a moment. " _I just need to turn my perspective yet again. We know the world isn't just black and white, but…"_

She puts down the puzzle-piece she's been polishing and looks to the side with a blank face, imagining that that's where the camera would be if she was in a TV-show.

" _Nah… they're evil. As dark as they come. Well… at least Duke's dad could be considered misguided? It's difficult to remember…"_

She sits there for a few moments, her mind pleasantly blank as she basks in the warmth of the puzzle. As if in a trance she reaches for the next piece, mentally preparing herself to dig through the cold metal, except… except…

There's nothing really left to dig through.

.

.

.

.

.

She blinks. Looks down. There are only two pieces left in the box.

.

 _._

 _._

 _._

 _._

 _._

 _what?_

Youko freezes. She feels her breath catch, her heart jumping to her throat and her stomach falling to her feet, growing colder by the second.

" _Oh my god…."_

A strangled noises escapes her throat.

No.

Nonononono!

But it's too early! She's only 11 years old! It took Yugi 8 years to complete!

.

.

.

.

 _Holy shit…_

 _._

 _._

 _._

Should she wait? If she finishes it, will everything start? Or will things wait until they're 16?

She's so confused. And in response, Yami reacts with worry.

"M-Mahad…." she whimpers out. Because god is she scared and worried.

Nobody answers. She can't even sense them.

Fear grows. Where are they? Why aren't they coming? She needs Mahad and Mana and her Lily. Needs their advice, their protection.

And then… there's almost a tugging in her heart. A whisper of something unknown, something strange. Something that is reaching and pushing and tugging at her very soul, and she has to force her hand to stay on the table, lest she reaches for those final pieces.

 _God. What should she do?_

She wants Yami to be free from the darkness but….are they all ready to face everything so soon? Is _she_ ready?

(It dawns to her, like an epiphany, that she doesn't think she ever will and never has… that ever since realizing her fate, she's been wishing that it would still fall on someone else…)

She realizes that there's no choice. She shouldn't hesitate, won't hesitate. He's been trapped for far too long, she won't force him to be any longer. Her shaking body stops, a calm falls over her…

.

.

.

.

She grabs the last pieces of the puzzle, her body both numb and alive at once, her mind more clear than ever yet hazy, like she's in a trance.

She takes a deep breath.

"Well…" she whispers, hands shaking as the second-to-last piece slots into place, leaving her to stare at the iconic eye stares up at her. "Destiny's calling."

The piece slots into place. There's a little give to it and then a sharp click.

Her room is quiet like a grave. Nothing happens.

"...Yami?" She whispers, looking around her darkened room fearfully. (She remembers how in the pyramid of light movie, it showed Yugi finish the puzzle then surrounded by monsters ready to attack him.)

Then there's a bright light and a rush of shadows, vines of Darkness shooting from the ground and wrapping around her like a cocoon.

She shrieks and curls around the puzzle in fear, falling out of her chair from the force of it.

 _Fuck the gods and their goddamn flair for the dramatics!_

"Mahad! Mana! Grandpa! Someone!"

She can't breathe. It's everywhere, swallowing her up, wrapping around her more and more tightly-!

" _YAMI! Help me!"_

Then it hits her.

Hard.

Like a wrecking ball to her chest.

Or rather… _he_ hits her.

He's got the form of a shadow, possibly even darker than the Darkness wrapping around her, with glowing yellow orbs for eyes and a body that keeps moving and changing, like smoke and embers escaping a fire. She doesn't know how he does it, but the Darkness is ripped from her body and she's free… they're free…

For a moment, they just look at each other.

She's laying on the floor, clutching the puzzle and gasping for breath. He's kneeling before her, tilting his head to the side as he observes her. She gets the feeling he's… considering her. Examining her features.

She swallows back her tears and sobs and reaches for him, physically and through the bond (it hurts because it's been ripped open between them.) sending her fear and gratefulness to him but also tugging him closer in a sense.

She sees his eyes widen, like he realizes who she is and he reaches for her too.

The moments ends, and then there is a rush like nothing she's ever felt before as all of the Light and the Darkness, including Yami himself, suddenly starts swirling and forming into a massive whirlwind of pure _power_ that hurtles towards her… and straight into the puzzle and, from there… straight into _her_.

She chokes and gasps and coughs before _screaming_ in pain as the power overwhelms all of her senses. She distantly hears the rush of footsteps and yells of confusion, she feels Yami panic and try to take the pain away but….

It's too much.

 _It's too much!_

 _It hurts!_

 _Make it stop please!_

She can't do it.

The world twists and turns, blankness rushes towards her.

.

.

.

.

She faints.

.

.

.

.

.

In another realm, far beyond the world of mortals, a group of creatures surround a shimmering pool depicting a child being swallowed by something too sinister for even them to control.

A man clad in golden armor steeples his hands. " _ **And so it begins…"**_ he whispers into the silence.

* * *

A/N:

:3c

Surprise, everyone! A wayward Duke and a wild Yami appears… about 7 years too early! *Throws confetti* Don't worry, we've got a plan… yes, everything is going just according to keikaku*. (Stars is dying of laughter as I'm typing this.) (Well, Yami's a little earlier than first planned, but it fits in perfectly). I will say that there won't be any Shadow Games or other murders all at once - we're not making elementary schoolers play dark games. We may be going some dark places later on, but I promise you this, on my love of puns and ancient memes: no children will initiate games of life and death in this fic.

It does mean, however, that we're going to introduce a little more drama on a larger scale. What that's going to entail, you'll just have to wait and see.

On the note of waiting, updates are probably going to slow down as I've begun my final semester of my Bachelor's degree and have gotten busy with classes again and they, unfortunately, have to take priority over writing for fun…

Anyways, thank you so much to all the people who commented, favorited and followed! It means a lot to us, and we appreciate each and every word :)

See you guys next time for more Caught in the Game!

NordicTwin

*Keikaku means plan.

A/N:

Aaahhh! So happy and excited! This chapter has me giddy.

Welcome back everyone! Hope you enjoyed this chapter. Especially the beyond epic ending line that Nordic wrote.

This chapter was supposed to go some other way and have way more to it. But then we finished the last part and thought, "this is perfect. We need to end here"

So a year has passed since last chapter. We wanted to give you details without going to into it and taking even longer to get to canon. So we summed up the changes and everything that has taken place in the year. We do plan to try and cover more details and other things in BtG (and boy does that list keep growing) but if we missed any details you want or you have questions for the year that passes, please review or pm one of us. We will try to answer or write a BtG chapter about it.

So here we show the summary of things, meeting tiny and sweet little Duke, and! Our beloved Pharaoh being freed and awoken! Ahhh! (I've been fangirling and giddy for this) woohoo! Get ready all, things are getting serious and closer to canon. (I know I keep saying that but now it's actually true!)

And mysterious people at the end. Who are they? Are the good or bad? (If it's not obvious who they are then….idk? Wait and see or ask and we can tell you :)

So much happening next chapter for sure. More time passing, more growing, the custody battle reaching its end and other shit (don't want too many spoilers). Just be ready for some awesome things.

And if you guys have any ideas or suggestions for what we could do during the fic for certain parts, please share! We would love the input.

Shoutout to all of the people who viewed and all of our current followers and faves and our new followers and favorites (Aquirs-Chan, Mehdude, Nials, ladymomo1993, Modest Alien Waltz, firefoxynk, HaloReaver, God is Gracious, mjkcsk, Morphious - ChangeSpinner, and Tori5125) And thanks to everyone who left Kudos!

And **EXTRA** thank yous and love to cherry-888,The Otaku Lady Priya, and Contentkarma347 for the reviews/comments!

Please, PLEASE leave us comments and reviews, especially if you have any questions or are confused! We love them so very much! We get so motivated to write when we get reviews!

Thanks again to the amazingly talented and lovely Moirei for Beta-ing for us, as always :)

Please check out our side story, Beyond the Game. It's got (or is going to anyways) missing scenes from what wouldn't fit into chapters, and also details of certain events that we (or you) wanted to expand upon.

Please don't forget to check out the CitG tumblr blog (caughtinthegame dot tumblr dot com) as well, we post links to the chapters and if we remember, we post chapter progress (or are trying to do that anyways). We will also post other little things now and then when we can.

We also have our other SI story called "Judgement of Our Sins" for the Seven Deadly Sins/Nanatsu no Taizai series! Please check it out! All three of us (Nordic, Moirei and myself) are super excited for it and to share it!

Anyways, that's all for this chapter. Stay safe and have a good rest of your day, week, or month(s). Until next time my darling duckies!

C. S. Stars

 **Edited/Beta by Moirei**

 **Finished & Published February 16, 2018**

* * *

Here is this chapters fic rec list! (This list has many stories that were the motivations and inspirations for CitG and JoOS. Most of them are self-insert fics. Please, please check them out and review!)

 **Heart of Fire (The Hobbit) by DONOVAN94. (Complete).**

Summary: "I am SMAUG! I kill where I wish and none dare resist! And now, you belong to me!" Smaug stirs beneath Erebor when he hears a heavenly voice and knows he must have such a prize for his own. Trapped in the Dragon's lair, Kathryn, a seer, must survive this deadly creature to escape to freedom. But a vision plagues her, one that connects her to the mighty dragon forever..

(Nordic: The first entry in a trilogy that has run since 2013 and is still going, the "Heart of…" series is an epic tale of adventure, destiny, war and love. Follow Kathryn, a Seer, as she suddenly finds herself as the possession of a mighty dragon with no escape in sight. Donovan is an amazing writer with a massive talent for creating vivid images and story-lines that have you clinging to the edge of your seat with anticipation, as well as crying rivers from the angst she weaves into the plot).

• **Deja Vu no Jutsu by Vixen Tail (Naruto) Complete**

Summary- Take one dead, thirty year old career soldier, stick in the body of a child during the Second Great Shinobi War. Add a mini-Namikaze Minato, ninjas, chakra, tailed beasts, and shake well. Is it any wonder she thought she was insane? Second/Third Great Ninja War era SI AU.

(C. S. Stars- The chapters are long but the details and thoughts into the world of Naruto and it's culture and shinobi life is amazing. The side stories that go with it "Neko-chan's Pawprints" are cool, especially the ones that show the canon verse meeting the fic verse.)

• **Alice by BluJeza (Twilight) On-Going/Hiatus?**

Summary- In all my life, I never wondered who I was. It wasn't until I was no longer myself that I started to question everything and nothing. My name is Alice, but who am I really? Warning: SI-OC, sort of.

(C. S. Stars- I hate twilight. Or rather, I hate Bella and Edward and several aspects of the series. Every other character is so fascinating though. I wish we could have more details on them…anyways, now and then I troll the twilight section when I'm bored and out of fics to read. I stumbled across this fic and let me tell you, it is such an awesome twist to the story and such a unique idea. It takes place pre-canon and explores the oc waking up as Alice when she is reborn as a vampire. That's all I'll say. Check it out though. If you want. I rarely rec twilight stuff. There maybe one or two other fics from the fandom that I will.)

• **Girl Friday by CompYES (Avengers) Hiatus**

Summary- "So here's the thing: I don't even know if I died, okay? ... All I knew was that when I was booted up and the world flickered on around me, something compelled me to speak. 'Good evening, Boss.'" In which a girl is FRIDAY, Tony Stark is a mess, home is what you make, and a whole lot of minor characters and obscure references are used. [A short SI!FRIDAY fic]

(C. S. Stars- CompYES is an amazing writer and a sweet girl. This fic is so amazing I can't even. She has two more for Avengers that are awesome and unique. For this, the summary says it all. A fascinating twist on someone becoming aware and waking up, as an AI. Just….check it out and her other avengers fics! Please. ;)

• **A Speedster's Providence by UnlockedPotential (Young Justice) On-Going/Hiatus?**

Summary- She lived; She died; She lives again – this time as Wallis Marian West. Drabble!fic. OCReincarnation!fic. Fem!Wally.

(C. S. Stars- I don't even know where to begin. I'll start with, I love this fic. It's such an awesome twist to being reborn and the affects of it. DC verse is awesome and this fic is awesome.)

• **Till The World Stops Turning by nariai (Inuyasha) On-Going**

Summary- Misplaced somewhere I did not belong to, in a body that should have never been mine, I could only wait for the world to finally stop turning. [SI, Self-Insert/OC-Insert as Sesshomaru's daughter.]

(C. S. Stars - Who hasn't had an Inuyasha phase? This fic gives a unique perspective of the oc not knowing of the Inuyasha series or anything. It's an awesome take to being reborn but not realizing that your new life was once a story.)


	18. Rejection and the Fear of it

**Chapter 17- Rejection and the Fear of it**

Wakefulness comes slowly to her. Fleeting, like glittering specks of dust hovering in the air, reflecting the light.

But there is no light.

No… that's not true.

There's a faint glow, like a smouldering ember. It surrounds her.

No…

It _is_ her.

It's like she's glowing but when she looks at herself it's not blinding. It's as if the glow is inside of her, and gently flowing out of her pores like a fine mist.

Her light flows steadily, brightening the small area around her but going no farther. The darkness is thick and heavy, too thick to let her light penetrate it.

Youko shivers in fear, whimpering as she recalls the darkness, and power, and _pain_ that had assaulted her, smothered her, _drowned her_.

And then, just as she thinks she's going to get lost to the fear, the terror, there's… _something_.

It feels like a hand, no, _arms_. They wrap around her shoulders, and she fights them at first - they block her glow, her _light_ , hiding it away from her and _nonono she needs that, stop it-_

There's a pulse… the darkness retreats…

She finds herself sprawled out on a cool floor made of a smooth, yellow stone… yellow and shining… like gold…

 _Gold like the puzz-_

Youko gives a sharp inhale as her mind snaps to attention and connects the dots.

 _Don't panic, don't panic-_

Too late- she can feel herself gasp and choke and-

Calmness, worry, _it's okay_ suddenly flow through her and unconsciously she starts to relax.

Then she hears the whisper. A barely there sound, low and raspy, from a voice that is distinctively male, if young.

"My Light… so precious, so warm… safe now, calm now, the Darkness won't get you".

 _Oh._

The tears slide down her cheeks, landing on pale hands that are not her own, before she can even register them.

 _That's right… he's free now…_

Her Darkness… He Who Sleeps… the Forgotten King…

 _Yami…_

Her tears turn to sobs.

"I heard you," she manages to choke out between breaths. "I could feel you there in the darkness, alone and confused, but I couldn't do _anything_ to help. _I'm sorry it took so long, but I heard you_ ".

He shushes her gently, carefully running a shaking hand through her hair.

"My Light spoke to me," he murmurs. "My Light told me of wonders… of Hope… of Life. Must… protect… so tired, my Light, so tired…"

Somehow, she frees her arms from his grasp and wrap them around his neck, returning the embrace, her heart filling with an indescribable sense of _warmth_ and _happiness_ at finally having him free from that cage.

Like something inside her was… was _missing_ or _lost_ or _broken_ , but is now finally complete.

"Then sleep, King of Darkness. There will be time later. We're together, we're safe. So rest…" she whispers quietly, her own body feeling sluggish and heavy.

She can feel him resist - sense it, too, in her… mind? In her heart? It's a strange feeling, like an echo deep inside her body that she knows doesn't belong to her. Not anymore.

 _(He wants to protect her. Keep her safe. He was her protector for so long, with no need for rest. Why would he need it now?)_

She is adamant he rests, and makes sure he can feel that too, through their frail connection. But… then again… it's warm, being wrapped all up in his arms. Comforting.

Maybe… maybe she can spare a few minutes of sleep with him… just a little nap… if it makes him more comfortable…

Yes… just for a little while…

She closes her eyes.

And then…

There is light.

She wakes up.

* * *

She almost wishes she could go back to the darkness, because awakening is loud and unpleasant with beeping machines, hands poking at her and whispers that sound much too loud for her ears.

Then there is a warm hand wrapping around hers and the soothing voice of Grandpa speaking to her.

"There we go, sweetheart, nice and easy - try not to wake up too quickly, alright?"

She squints against the faint light of the room, then flinches back when someone touches her face and another much brighter light passes over each of her eyes. Then it's over and the room is dim again.

"Sorry about that, kid - just had to check a few things. Anyways, she seems to be in the clear for now. Her temperature looks to be going down and she's responding to touches and bright lights. We still don't know for sure what caused all of this, but she should be getting better soon."

"Thank you, Doctor."

 _Doctor?_

"Gran'pa…?" She murmurs, trying to squeeze his hand, but strangely without much luck. That's when she realizes her body feels heavy as lead and more sluggish than a snail trying to drag a truck.

"Shhhh… it's okay, dear, just take it slow," he whispers, and something warm and safe runs through her hair. _Grandpa's hand… so nice and warm and soothing…_ "Really gave us a scare there, you clever girl, but I suspected we'd get that from you a lot, back when you were born and just a teeny-tiny thing in your mama's arms."

" _Mama…"_ Youko's heart clenches at the thought. She's so confused. The world feels different after going to that dark place. Almost… almost too bright, too noisy…

In that moment, her heart aches with renewed grief and all Youko wants is her mom to hold her and tell her it's going to be okay.

She can feel a tear slide down her face, before her mind grows heavy and slumber claims her once again.

.

.

.

 _Darkness. It's cold and coming for her and she wants to run, but can't get away… it gains on her…_

 _Then… arms around her… thin, but so strong and warm, smelling of safety and childhood summers… soft light and a kiss to her forehead…_

 _A dream?_

 _The nightmare disappears._

.

.

.

* * *

The man is in his office when his informant delivers the news of the Puzzle's completion, working on his new creation.

" _Ah… so the Chosen Child has unleashed the Darkness?"_

Laughable.

It really is. Such great irony. A child? As the mistress of all Shadows? Honestly, if it wasn't such a waste of power otherwise used better, if she didn't pose such a _threat_ to his plans by merely _existing_ , he'd have amused himself with imagining what a little girl would be able to do with that power. Make her dolls come alive for a tea party? Make some poor fool buy her everything in a candy shop?

Yeah… no. That power isn't suited for a child. It would be put to much better use in his hands.

He's going to make sure of it.

The figure in his lap leans over to study the papers presented to him, and despite the dimness of the room, he can see her little face scrunched up in thought, can see her mind spinning with confusion as she studies the strange letters she can't read, but knows contain important information.

"Uncle…? Are you sure, that is… can this really bring her back?"

He wraps his arm a bit more securely around her and carefully ruffles her hair. "Of course it can, sweetheart. You just trust your Godfather on this - before we know it, your auntie will be back and everything will be as it was," he gently nudges her off his lap and shoos her towards the door. "Now, off you go. Bedtime - the maids will tuck you in tonight, okay? I have to work".

The girl nods, briefly hops up to kiss his cheek, then runs away from the grey light of his office and into the light of the hallway.

 _Such a sweet child… she deserves more._

See? He's not just doing this for selfish reasons, he tells himself. He's doing this for his little ward, too, and her sisters, who are so far away…

The man bends over the papers and starts plotting.

And the Darkness whispers in the corners.

* * *

Youko spends about a week in the hospital being examined and tested for just about everything, before the doctors ultimately conclude that the stress and worry of the court case, on top of her already frail health, simply made her body force itself to shut down to get some much needed rest.

She's sent home with strict orders of taking it slow for another week at least.

The media, who had been hounding the family taking _Gozaburo Kaiba_ to court for custody, drink it all up like a man lost in the desert coming upon water.

Naturally, the physical manifestation of egomania himself is none too pleased about the media not taking his side of things (because how can he frame them as merely being "out for his money" when a little kid LITERALLY went comatose from worry?) and tries to keep Seto and Mokuba from them.

The social workers and Kotoko square up the second they hear that, and the end result is the case getting closer to the end with a steady increase in the public supporting the Mutou family.

Still… Youko knows what happened has nothing to do with stress. Hinata knows it, Grandpa knows it… and, much to her surprise, so does her baby brother.

Or so she thinks when Yugi, seemingly overnight, becomes strangely… attached to the puzzle.

The first thing Yugi does, when Youko is safe at home and in her bed, is to climb into her lap and just hold the puzzle, touching the surface and examining the details.

(Sometimes she thinks she can hear him softly murmur something under his breath, and it leaves her heart aching).

Guilt slithers through her each time Yugi holds the puzzle. It should've been _him_ who completed the puzzle. It's _his_ destiny and _his_ life she's changing. It's all her fault and she doesn't belong-!

A smooth wave of something cool rushes through her mind whenever that guilt hits her, running through her veins like water, making her body submit to a weird sense of calm that is both foreign and her own.

 _Her tenant worries for her, even as he slumbers and dozes, pulling on her mind to join him and rest… rest… rest…_

(She will have to communicate to him that he can't just make her take a nap every time she's upset. She can't stay at home in bed forever, after all.)

On top of that, Mahad and Mana fret over her even more, Mahad in particular. He spends the better half of a day on his knees begging for forgiveness, for not having been able to reach her.

Not that she blames him after hearing the reasons behind it.

"We were on the other side, settling a feud between two clans," Mana had explained over Mahad's apologies. "We tried to reach you as soon as we felt the shift in magic, but when we tried to cross… we _couldn't_. We were blocked off by someone much stronger than us. Someone higher in the hierarchy."

It hadn't been difficult to figure out who exactly she'd meant, and Hinata had then spent about an hour ranting and swearing at the danger she'd been in, all because of the gods interfering _again_.

Grandpa wasn't too far off himself. Youko has never seen her Grandpa so thunderous or mad. To avert things, he suggested that they gather their family and talk about what may (will) be in their future.

It's… not something she looks forward to, truth be told.

On one hand, she _wants_ them to know. So much - there is nothing she would love to do more. To not have them go into this grand adventure blind, to prepare them, to _protect_ them… and yet… and yet… the fear of rejection, of ridicule and suspicions, lingers.

What if they don't believe her?

What if they think they're crazy?

What if they leave _oh gods above don't make them leave her behind, don't take her friends from her._

Or what if they blame it on Grandpa, and think him crazy? (Very unlikely, a rational part of her brain knows, but… Osamu went crazy in the span of a few months and thought Hinata a demon… what's to say they won't think the same of her Grandpa?)

What if they make _her_ leave? Send her and her siblings off to foster families?

(There are so many things they could do, could say. And most of them are bad.)

The fear is almost suffocating, in the hours up to the gathering. The Family Meeting, as they've announced it as.

But Hinata's hand is firm in hers, and Lily is curled up on her lap, and Mahad stands behind her - tall, proud, a mage and a knight all in one.

 _She prays that this won't be the loss of their family._

* * *

… _ **In a land, far away…**_

Finally.

After so many years.

Years of waiting.

Years of preparing.

Years of loyalty.

It is finally time.

"Sir. I've found them. They're in Japan…..I've confirmed that it's them."

The young man looks up from the newspaper he's reading, the headline on the from is big and bold with the news it announces to the world.

" _ **CORPORATE GIANT GOZABURO KAIBA DIES IN APPARENT SUICIDE"**_

The child next to the young man looks up from where he's been gazing out at the bustling bazaar below. "Is it true, then? Has our Pharaoh and the Lost King been reborn in body?"

The cloaked figure bows their head. "In body, yes. But, Sir - Young Master… it appears that there has been a miscalculation."

The figure holds out a photo of two young girls. One pale as snow, the other bearing a striking resemblance to… to… but that can't be true, can it?

"That's not right though! I thought the Pharaoh's other half was supposed to be a boy!"

"Hush, let him finish."

"Sorry."

"It is fine Young Master. As Sir said, I'm not finished. We found the bodies that match the Pharaoh and the Thief King–" here he holds another photo out that shows two young boys that look exactly like the Pharaoh and Thief, "–but they are not the other halves of them."

Silence falls over the little group as they look at the photos. Then the young man nods to himself. "Very well. It appears we will have to approach this in a slightly different manner. Do you have more information than what you've shown us here?"

"Of course Sir. I've compiled all the relevant information and photos of the Queen and her family for you and the others."

"Excellent. Then we will prepare for departure. Has our sister been informed?"

From inside sounds a crash and a shriek of rage, followed by the sound of rapid steps on stone floors. The young man winces in sympathy with whoever had to face her fury.

"I'll take that as confirmation. Hamad, you're free to go - we leave at dawn's light in three days. Brother, this will be your first trip - make sure you've got everything you need, because there's no saying when we might return. I shall go and deal with sister, see what all that was about."

The boy bounces up and down, beaming with excitement and nodding his head. "I can't wait to meet them!...they're so pretty…..Especially the white one."

He rushes off, in his room by the time he hears his brother speak to his sister. He can't really hear what they say, but that's how it usually is - when big sister is in trouble, it's all hushed voices and long silences, unlike the quick scoldings he receives when he's shattered a plate or failed to do his homework.

Suddenly a yell rings through his home.

" _It's rejected me! She's cut me off!"_

It's deathly silent for several moments. All he hears is his own heartbeat pounding in his ears.

Then there's another deeper, much louder, sound - his quiet, gentle brother letting out a shout of his own.

" _What!?"_

* * *

A/N

Hey! Omg! Guess what April 27th was?! It was the one year anniversary of Caught in the Game's first posting! I can't believe that the year has gone by so quickly. (we really did try to finish this or something for it, but had no luck unfortunately.)

So sorry about the long wait. Life happened and kept us busy. (Work. Being a manager is hard. Nordic is in Uni, so she has that. I've got some family drama and issues at home rn sadly. So that's been wearing on me mentally and draining me.) Plus new and old fandoms tried to drag us back down into them. (I barely managed to make it out alive)

Ngl. This chapter was a struggle to write. Our first doc was great but then going back to it some time later, we both felt that it didn't flow right. So we rewrote the chapter.

For myself, my brain has been in a funk. My imagination and motivation are dead and it sucks. Hopefully I'll be able to get excited and motivated again soon.

Sorry that the chapter is shorter too, we decided something was better than nothing and we don't want to throw way too much content at you in just one chapter.

Lots going on (again ^^;) but that's not a bad thing. Youko may be mentally older but she is physically younger, so all the stress and magic is taking a toll on her body rn. Nothing serious….maybe. ;D

Have you ever noticed, in practically every series, it's always 1. Kids that are the focus, and 2. The parents are clueless? Like seriously. The parents know shit is happening but have no idea what, so they're assuming drugs or something I bet. It just always seemed wrong that the parents were never mentioned or anything. So we plan to change that. The gang will have a good support system and help when they need it.

2 mysterious groups have appeared. Are they good? Are they bad? They certainly know of Youko at least. What are their plans? Why is Stars asking all these questions we don't know the answers to? Well you'll find out eventually.

So as my lovely partner will tell you down below, this will be the start of a short break for CitG. Need to rest from it, cause we're burned out. Also need to work on our other fic JoOS and get that next chapter out. The followers of that have been waiting so long as well. Don't worry, we aren't abandoning CitG and won't leave it too long. We promise.

Shoutout to all of the people who viewed and all of our current followers and faves and our new followers and favorites (CrisscrossAnime, GreenRoseMonkey, Biclops, PhoenixFire9094, shadanai2538, Dubrovnik, notsofrilly, bunnyxstar, Gummi Penguin, Darkstar709, Ookami Kasumi, MoonlightDovakiin, RenkinMaitai, Just Another Random, tywp, Warlord of Chaos, shadowjumper7, Noxy the Proxy, KatsOnTheRun, lavenza132) And thanks to everyone who left Kudos!

And **EXTRA** thank yous and love to for the reviews/comments! Comments and reviews give us life and motivation. Please leave us some!

Also extra thank you and a congrats to RenkinMaitai for being our 100th follower and Tori5125 (your pms are off so we can't reply to your review!) for being our 50th reviewer (both on ffn)!

Thanks again to the amazingly talented and lovely Moirei for Beta-ing for us, as always :)

Please check out our side story, Beyond the Game. It's got (or is going to anyways) missing scenes from what wouldn't fit into chapters, and also details of certain events that we (or you) wanted to expand upon.

Please don't forget to check out the CitG tumblr blog (caughtinthegame dot tumblr dot com) as well, we post links to the chapters and if we remember, we post chapter progress (or are trying to do that anyways). We will also post other little things now and then when we can.

Anyways, that's all for this chapter. Stay safe and have a good rest of your day, week, or month(s). Until next time my darling duckies!

\- C. S. Stars

A/N:

Hey everyone, and once again welcome to another chapter of Caught in the Game! Sorry it's been so long, but it's been busy for both of us, and as my partner-in-crime-and-writing will explain, this one was damn difficult to get out. We had ideas, then scrapped those ideas - then we got new ideas and scrapped those too… along with moments of writer's block, it's been a little harsh on us. But never fear - this train's gonna keep on going!

So this chapter's a little shorter, but a lot of things are happening - also in the dark corners where nobody's looking. Light and Darkness have reunited at last, but not without taking a heavy toll on Youko's body - such strong magic is harsh on a young body, and she'll have to spend some time recovering from that one.

And then we've got a bunch of other people working in the background. Hmm… I wonder what's going on with that.

And yes, we killed Gozaburo early. Because he's a pile of burning garbage, we don't like him, and Seto and Mokuba deserve better. End of story.

As for for the future of the fic, this chapter marks the beginning of a break in the story. We need to write down a plan for the next arcs, as well as work on our other fanfic "Judgement of Our" Sins for the Seven Deadly Sins. Personally, I will also use this break to finish my exams and finally get my Bachelor's degree with a major in English and a minor in Organisational Communication. Next stop - Candidate degree! (But yeah, that's also one of the reasons this took so long - I've been swarmed with school work and a massive project).

That's about it from me for this time. Thank you so much to all of you who review, favorite, follow and leave kudos - it means a lot and really brightens our day. Nothing better. And congratulations to Tori5125 on being the 50th reviewer on ffnet!

See you all next time!

\- NordicTwin

 **Edited/Beta by Moirei**

 **Finished May 21, 2018**

 **Published May 22, 2018**


	19. Transitions

**Chapter 18- Transitions**

Seto's always known there was something off about his new-found family. Don't ask him how he knows, he just… does. He's always prided himself on his sharp mind, and he knows they're well aware of it.

He's just never been quite sure if _they_ were even aware of the weird things happening in the Kame Gameshop. The shadows always move a little differently - a little _too_ sharply, sometimes… _stuttering_ … like a glitch in the matrix or a flickering flame. And other times… things follow him and Mokuba. Lurking in the corners, like the classical "monster in the closet" or something out of the scary movies his Kaa-san didn't want him to watch, but he snuck a peek at, one night, when he was 4… only it didn't feel frightening or threatening. It felt…. _protective_. Like a constant bodyguard (much like Roland, bless his soul) that couldn't be seen, or a grand beast just constantly waiting at the edge of his vision.

But for all of his theories and ideas, absolutely _nothing_ could ever have prepared him for what he is told once everything is done and over, after Gozaburo had flung himself from his helicopter and disappeared into the cold depths of Domino Bay, and Seto's life is finally _his_ again.

 _(He hadn't been difficult to find, in the end, but Roland told him it hadn't been something a child like him should ever see.)_

 _(The tabloids write of a shattered body and a haunted look in his eyes, but Seto can't get himself to read much more than a few words of the one paper he gets his hands on, and Grandpa, Roland, and what Youko calls the Parent Squad make sure to keep them away from anyone under 30 in their households)._

He prides himself on his genius. He prides himself on his abilities in invention and science and technology. He prides himself on being a man - or, well, boy - of _logic_.

Which is why when he's presented with tales of _magic_ of all things - not only that, _actual, concrete proof of it_ , he kind of just… breaks.

It's… just too much for his young mind to comprehend, and he finds himself falling into a pool of static noise and an inability to form words or even move.

In Youko's defence, it's not her fault that it happens. She, Hinata, those spirits and even Grandpa do their best to explain everything, in the best possible manner, in a language even the little ones can understand.

He just… it's been such a stressing time. Youko was knocked out for a week, the issue with his adopted father being solved by default because he killed himself (and there's something off about that, because it doesn't match up with anything he's ever known about Gozaburo Kaiba, and a bunch of other factors don't fit either), the sudden change to his living situation - from an opulent prison to the cramped warmth of the Mutou home - and his newfound freedom…

He can't handle it. At least not at first.

Unfortunately for his dignity, once the static passes and Youko's explanation has been halted to give way to concerns for him, his way of "handling it" is by bursting into uncontrollable laughter that sends him falling out of his chair.

Which doesn't, you know, make his family any less concerned. Quite opposite, in fact.

"Seto!"

"Nii-san!"

"Good job, Ko, you broke our resident genius".

"This isn't funny, Hinata!"

"Ac-act-actually, I think- I think this is hilarious," he finally manages to gasp out, before another fit rushes over him.

Seto's pretty much breathed mathematics and physics for as long as he can remember. Moving into Gozaburo's house and being pushed past his limits - for as much as he hated it - didn't change a thing. In fact, being introduced to coding only fostered that love.

Magic and monsters and foes to beat… those were things he experienced through games, and storybooks when his mother was still alive. They were things he partook in to relax, but also to connect to numbers and patterns and strategy outside of school books.

To hear that those monsters are very much _real_ , to find out that he's been surrounded by them ever since meeting his new family, to discover that they've been _protecting_ him…

It makes no sense. None whatsoever. From a logical standpoint.

 _And yet…. it's also one of the only things in his life to ever have made any sense at all._

He sprawls out on the floor in a mess of limbs that feel too long and mussed up clothes that don't fit as well as they should anymore. For a minute or so he just… breathes, all while the rest of his extended family (and the spirits he figures are also a part of it) just look at him.

"I'm a child of logic," he finally says, staring up at the ceiling. "I've always preferred facts and numbers to pretty much anything else - magic and all that used to be reserved for games and bedtime stories, simple recreation… but Gozaburo wanted to squash whatever tiny belief I still had in "illogical" things like that, once Mokuba and I landed in his… care."

He turns his head, meeting Youko's eyes where she peeks at him over the side of the couch. "Youko - _everyone_. Please understand that what I've just been told goes against my very nature. _Magic doesn't exist outside of fiction_ \- it's what I've believed since as long as I can remember. It's never been anything but an abstract concept, more like something I felt when my mother read me a story or I played a game. To have definitive proof that magic is very much _real_ and has been keeping me safe from that man for months… it's a complete contradiction of everything I thought I knew. So excuse me for breaking down and still having my doubts, but… at some point, you just have to either just laugh or start crying."

Youko keeps looking at him. An outsider might not see much of a change in her expression, but he sees the glint in her eyes subtly changing. From something light and lively to hard and determined.

Not a word spoken between them, at yet there's an entire conversation in just that tiny change.

Youko telling him she understands, that she doesn't judge him for having reservations, that he doesn't have to just… accept everything.

He takes a deep breath through his nose and closes his eyes, feels the steady ground against his back.

He'll be okay.

He just needs to change his world-view a little, first. But he's done it before - too many times for someone at his age, maybe, but he's done it.

Once that's done, he'll be able to apply logic to the changed world again.

* * *

For awhile after Gozaburo's death, it's as if the world is spinning at double speed while Youko herself is stuck trudging through tar, trying desperately to keep up with everything.

The media circus started by the death of Gozaburo Kaiba had been pure purgatory. They'd all been stuck inside for days, only speaking to the media through Fujioka-san and a small team of Kaiba Corp. Lawyers who hadn't immediately jumped ship had worked almost 24/7 to keep the company afloat on behalf of Seto and Mokuba.

Meanwhile there had been the police and court to deal with. With Gozaburo dead, the brothers were without a legal guardian, and while Grandpa was the only one with any sort of claim on them through relation, child protective services still stalled.

Eight children, all under 20 and half under 10, in the tiny house that was the Kame Game Shop, with only one elderly adult as the only guardian? No, that was out of the question to them. Even with the added support of the Gardner and Taylor families, there just wasn't enough enough room for all those children to live comfortably and safely.

She'd wanted to argue, to tell them that they'd done fine during visits, that they'd manage. But deep in her heart, she knew that it was true. Sooner or later they wouldn't be able to share rooms anymore - they'd want to have their own space to just _be_.

The thing was, Youko didn't want to give up her cousins. They'd fought so hard to free them, to get them back from that horrible place, and suddenly their efforts weren't good enough?

It tortured her.

And then relief came in the form of Isono.

"Let me make up for my inability to protect them from him," he'd said to them. "Just until you can find a solution to the housing issue, the boys can stay with me. My fiancée and I have a spare room, we don't mind all - you have my word".

The court accepted the offer.

That's how Seto and Mokuba ended up moving in with Isono and and his wife-to-be Kotone in a little apartment in an area called Hanafuda Village - which isn't really a village, it's actually a pretty big area that both is and isn't a part of Tokyo's suburbs (there are a lot of technicalities on the area that she can't be bothered to understand), but that didn't matter at the time. What mattered to Youko was that it was where her cousins would live.

It has the added perk of being about 30 minutes away from Domino City Centre (and thus the KC offices), but since it is a new area, it's a far cry from anything that might remind her cousins of their years without freedom.

Not too long after, Grandpa put the game shop up for sale and started looking for available real estate. Literally a day later, the same was done with the Kaiba Estate.

"I don't want to set foot in the damn thing again if I don't have to," Seto tells them, when things have settled a bit more, and he and Mokuba have gotten used to their (temporary, they're all very keen on stressing that it's only _temporary_ ) new living situation with Isono and Kotone. "It could burn to the ground and I wouldn't care."

"Uhm…. that's a little harsh, isn't it Seto?"

"I honestly don't think I have the capacity to care about such things anymore, Haruhi. It's all being blocked by the relief-high I've been on the for past four weeks and counting."

They're all gathered on the floor of Isono's living room, having invaded the space and covered it in futons, pillows, blankets and sleeping bags. They can faintly hear Kotone and Isono chat with Ryoji and Anzu in the kitchen, where they've resigned themselves to being banished to for the night while supervising the sleepover. It's around 9 in the evening. Ryou, Yugi, Serenity, and Mokuba have already passed out, Joey and Tristan are engaged in a fierce pokemon battle, and Youko and the other girls (sans Haruhi) are occupied with doing each others' hair, a book with step-by-step guides and reference photos spread out on the floor between them.

"I'm not judging - I live in Ouran, remember? That place is so full of rich people, you wouldn't believe the stuff you see walking down the street. I'm just saying, that's a lot of resources going to waste if you're just going to burn it," she shrugs.

"Eat the rich!" Youko chimes in, snickering when Hinata gives her a _look_.

"In any case," Seto says, ignoring her antics, "you're right that a lot of good resources would go to waste. Which is why I'm going to donate the artworks and antiques he's been hoarding to museums or the rightful owners, and I guess I'll sell or give away some of the furniture to people who need it."

"Well, he might never admit to it, but I think dad would appreciate getting a new couch for his office, if you're just giving furniture away," Tea butts in, speaking around a mouthful of bobby pins. "Haru-chan, you sure you don't want to join in? Your hair'd be so pretty!"

Haruhi shakes her head. "I'll pass… but I think the loser of that deathmatch over there should get a makeover as a consolation."

"That is a brilliant idea, Haruhi!"

""NO IT'S NOT!""

They laugh. It's a happy evening. Youko thinks this is good, she can live with this, just until they get a new house.

And they do.

They're just a few days from summer break when it's offered to them.

It's another corner building, three and a half storeys tall if the attic is counted, towards the end of a nice shopping district called Shogi Street, and much bigger than their old home, even if they have their similarities. The ground floor is already authorised for shop-space, though the realtor tells them that the owner of the neighbouring building is contemplating selling, so that they might have the option to expand even further.

It's a bit of a fixer-upper, truthfully. The building has been for sale for a very long time and is a little outdated, but… when Grandpa, accompanied by Adam, takes them to look at things…

The windows are big - not just in the shop, but in the living area. Even without expanding, there's plenty of space for all of them to have a room. Sure, they might end up a little small, but they don't need much else. And if push comes to shove, Youko wouldn't mind sharing a room with Hinata. It's what they've done so far, anyways.

Anything to get Seto and Mokuba _home_.

It doesn't come to that, however. Because Seto (and Isono) steps in.

Before they can even really think things through, a large sum of money is spent on the building, as well as all the necessary inspections and teams that are needed to repair and update everything. All generously paid for by the New Kaiba Corporation.

And because her cousin has never really learned how to Chill, the same is done with the neighbor's building.

By the middle of the two weeks that is their summer vacation (which Youko still thinks is unfairly short), they have a new house. Youko's room is on the top floor at the south-eastern corner and looks out over the backyard (a nice, sunny area with a pretty stone terrace and enough room for an apple tree and a nice playset with swings, a slide, and a little tower), as well as a decent chunk of Shogi Street. Right next to it, in the south-western corner, is Hinata's room - she could lean out of her window and wave at her, if she wanted to.

She knows that Seto's room is going to be a bit further down the hall from her's, and that Mokuba, Ryou, and Yugi will be in a room right next to _that_ , which also puts it close to Grandpa's room, not to mention that Joey's room will be on the opposite side of that. Serenity is right across from her and Hinata, and they've set up little string-lights along the floor as a guide, should anyone have nightmares and want to seek out a specific person.

All of her extended family is going to be within 10 steps at most from her.

It's great. She's so happy - that, in turn, makes the spirit sharing her mind happy, even when he's mostly unconscious. She can feel it.

The Kame Gameshop has its grand opening in Hanafuda Village on the last day of the summer holidays. The gathering is modest, but that's not what matters. Not to Youko.

Her family is completed. Gozaburo is gone, and her cousins - her brothers - are safe, are _home_.

And _that,_ she thinks, is all that matters.

* * *

 **A/N:**

 _Hey all, long time no see...post….whatever. Anyways. Sorry it's been so long. A lot has happened for both Nordic and I since our last post. For me I've had a lot of family drama happen, several people I've known for years have passed away. My emotional and mental health have been a mess honestly. Work has been draining. Motivation and energy for anything has been hard to come by. Plus new fandoms and lives have stolen me away with no hope of freedom, and scrounging up anything for CitG or JoOS has been very hard. But I'm determined to finish both._

 _Not a whole lot happening this chapter. Nordic and I both just reached the point of needing/wanting to post something, anything for you all. We figure something short is better than nothing._

 _Shoutout to all of the people who viewed and all of our current followers and faves and our new followers and favorites (The-Living-Shadow, .com, The 27th Noah, trollypop, cb104205, ShiroShiki27, Zenith Elf, Topaz Leaves, 97NerdyRoses, Skittertale, Sparkler of chaos, FallenwaterTheFallen, RunFromTheMedic, kyukons, Heitor, Rescue9911, ilovepie123, QueenAella, DragonClanMaster, RedWolf Lover, TehBdog, HollowGoku90's, sorcerousfang, aeds, iniziodellastella, asunashesetsuna, Yami no Mitsuru, Luna Lillyth, Ophelia Elric, MysteryOfOrigin, Eric Smith1, Ashers537, DiCuore Alissa, and BarleyRice) And thanks to everyone who left Kudos!_

 _And EXTRA thank yous and love to for the reviews/comments! Comments and reviews give us life and motivation. Please leave us some!_

 _Thanks again to the amazingly talented and lovely Moirei for Beta-ing for us, as always :)_

 _Anyways, that's all for this chapter. Stay safe and have a good rest of your day, week, or month(s). Until next time!_

 _C. S. Stars_

 _ **A/N:**_

Hey there, everyone. Like Stars said, things have been crazy for both of us, and this chapter has been like pulling out teeth to write. I won't go into detail, but long story short: my beloved godmother - a person was like an aunt to me, and a sister to my mom - very sadly was diagnosed with a very aggressive cancer relapse in early June, and subsequently passed away just a week before she would've turned 57 in July. This went and killed all my will to write for a very long time, and on top of that, there was also a very nasty mishap with a lost 18-page final essay 12 hours before deadline just took everything out of me.

Things are better now, though. I'm back on my feet and has moved on to my Master's degree, which has also taken a lot of my time, but I'm proud to finally be able to get something out to you guys. It's been a long road to get to this point, but like my partner in writing said, a short chapter is better than no chapter, and with this out of the way, we can finally move on to more exciting topics. Be prepared for time-skips, though - it's high time we reach "Season 0", and we can't wait to show you all of our ideas!

Thanks to Moirei for the beta-read, and extra special thanks to all of you guys who comment, follow, leave kudos, and just generally stick around while it takes us over half a year to finish a chapter ^^;

You guys keep being awesome, we'll try to be back a little sooner next time!

NordicTwin

 **Edited/Beta by Moirei  
Finished February 14, 2019  
Published February 15, 2019**


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